SAT and ACT scores are regaining importance in the college admissions process as some colleges and universities move away from test-optional policies adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While standardized test scores are only one part of an application, education professionals say strong scores can strengthen a student’s application, even at colleges where submitting them remains optional.

“I think the big answer to that is they matter more than they did a couple of years ago,” Susan Henschel, senior consultant at the College Review in Pepper Pike, said. “And the trend is swinging back requiring SATs and ACTs. I think the key is remembering that test optional doesn’t mean irrelevant.”

Henschel said students applying to highly selective colleges should expect standardized testing to play a role in the admissions process. Even at test-optional schools, a strong score can provide another way for students to demonstrate their academic abilities.

“Basically, with the overinflation of GPA, colleges are finding that test scores could really give a truer picture of the student,” Henschel said. “Test scores predict college performance better than GPA alone.”

Andrew Cruse, a director at Laurel School in Shaker Heights, said the current testing landscape is partly a reversal of changes that occurred during the pandemic.

Before COVID-19, most colleges required applicants to submit ACT or SAT scores, he said. Test-optional admissions existed before the pandemic but became much more common when students had limited access to standardized testing.

“What we are coming out of is the wave of the test optional landscape that colleges mostly adopted as a result of COVID,” Cruse said.

As colleges accumulated several years of data, some began reconsidering those policies and returning to standardized testing requirements, he said. Cruse pointed to The Ohio State University in Columbus as one example of a school that has returned to requiring scores.

“So, test scores absolutely still matter,” Cruse said. “And they also matter where they aren’t required.”

Despite renewed attention on testing, grades and the difficulty of a student’s high school curriculum generally remain more important in the admissions process, Cruse said.

“At the top of the list of things that matter to colleges is, of course, grades in high school coursework and the level at which those courses were taken,” he said.

Colleges look at whether students challenged themselves academically through Advanced Placement, honors or other advanced coursework and how well they performed. Test scores can then provide additional context to a student’s overall academic record, Cruse said.

“We want to see strong grades and a rigorous curriculum, and then let testing fall where it can in order to assist or not assist,” he said.

For families deciding whether a student should take the SAT or ACT, Henschel recommended viewing standardized testing as another way to understand the student’s academic standing.

“Going to college is often a family’s second biggest investment besides their home,” Henschel said. “And they want to have a firm understanding of where the student is academically.”

Cruse said families should also avoid allowing one part of the admissions process to overshadow the larger goal of finding the right college.

“At Laurel, we really try to focus on fit and making sure students are finding places where they’re going to thrive and be successful,” he said.