The Importance of Standardized Tests for Elite College Admissions

6/8/26

“The recruiting coach wants me to re-take my ACT,” my student told me recently.

“What? Why? I thought you had a perfect score, a 36,” I replied.

“My composite is 36 but I have a 35 on the math section,” my student replied. “He wants to increase the chances I’ll get admitted.”

I'm an Ivy admissions coach with a boutique practice. 92% of my top students have gotten into an Ivy-level school or top UC over the past 12 years.

My perfect composite ACT student was a nationally ranked athlete being recruited to a top 10 university, which had an overall acceptance rate of <5%. 

The coach put him on the short list for admissions, meaning he had a 50% chance of getting in off that list. 

My student also had straight As, major leadership, and was under-represented.

And yet, the college coach wanted a perfect math score.

This is the reality of college admissions today.

If you’re aiming for a top 25 school, you need to take the SAT/ACT and plan to submit scores.

Historically, top colleges have always required standardized test scores but the advent of Covid brought a wave of test optional policies, since in-person testing centers were closed.

Now we’re post-Covid, many of the top 25 colleges have brought mandatory testing back, including MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Yale, UPenn and Dartmouth.

Even if test scores are not currently required at places like Princeton or Columbia, you need to submit scores for elite college admissions. If you don’t, it will hurt your chances – admission officers will assume you can’t handle the academics.

In terms of score, aim for the 50th percentile or higher of admitted students. 

My student athlete ended up getting a perfect math score on his ACT re-take.

I helped him craft an impactful capstone project and a phenomenal essay. 

He submitted his application early and we waited. 

In December, my student got admitted.

He also got waitlisted at Stanford (1% admit rate), where he had no athletic recruitment.

In this era of hyper-competitive college admissions, standardized test scores matter and are a minimum requirement for your application.

Be sure to prepare.

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Alice Chen is a Stanford graduate, journalist, and founder of BrightStory, a boutique coaching firm which specializes in Ivy League admissions. Alice helps students maximize happiness as a strategy for getting into elite schools. She has one opening for each of the Classes of 2027 and 2028.