Historically, required testing has been an important component of the NYC private school admissions process - particularly for high schools, which typically required scores from the ISEE or SSAT as part of their application processes. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a wide range of changes to the admissions process; one of the biggest was the sudden adoption of “test-optional” admissions by a number of private schools. 

This shift to a test-optional policy was driven by equity concerns; standardized tests were typically administered at in-person testing centers, which had to close during the pandemic, and not all students had the technology and internet access required to take the exams at home. Therefore, many NYC private schools swiftly made testing optional for their pandemic admissions cycles, which mirrored the same shift that many high-profile colleges and universities made at the same time. 

Nowadays, though, test-optional policies are becoming less common once again - both in higher education and among NYC independent schools. For the 2024-2025 admissions season, the number of schools that remain test-optional is dwindling. That said, there are still a handful of schools that remain test-optional, and that concept remains confusing to many parents: should we submit test scores, or not? Read on for further guidance on how to interpret these policies. 

What does test-optional mean in the NYC private school admissions process? 

If a school, typically a high school, offers a test-optional policy, it means that applicants are not required to submit standardized test scores (ISEE or SSAT) along with their application. Critically, this means that not submitting scores will not count against applicants; the admissions committee will use other information from the application, including report cards and teacher recommendations, to assess a student’s fit for their school’s academic environment. 

It’s important to note that most schools that have a test-optional policy will request additional information in lieu of standardized test scores - often an additional teacher recommendation or a graded writing sample. Plus, a number of NYC private schools have also rolled out their own in-house assessments over the last several years, sometimes instead of requiring ISEE or SSAT scores (technically making the school “test-optional,” though their own in-house testing is still required) and sometimes in addition to requiring those scores. There’s yet another category of schools that will not accept ISEE/SSAT scores at all - not even optionally, they just cannot be submitted - and typically the school will require its own in-house testing instead. As always, research the schools on your list to make sure you fully understand their testing requirements, in-house or otherwise. 

Should we submit scores if a school is test-optional? 

One of the most confusing questions for parents in the post-pandemic admissions era has been whether or not to submit standardized test scores even if a school is test-optional. There’s a perception that schools may say that they don’t penalize applicants for not submitting scores, but in practice they have a preference for seeing scores. 

While that’s almost certainly not true, it is important to understand how admissions committees weigh applicants, and the role that test scores play in that process. Scores are not, and never have been, the sole criteria that governs acceptance or rejection. However, they do offer admissions committees an important data point about a student’s academic performance; admissions committees’ entire job is to make difficult decisions with relatively minimal data, so it’s obvious that a data point like test scores (which are, theoretically, standardized across students and therefore easy to understand) will have an impact in a committee’s evaluation. 

Therefore, applicants and their families should consider whether or not to submit scores as they look across their entire application for the data points and narratives that they are offering to an admissions committee. For example:

• Is strong academic performance already clear from other components of the application, like report cards or teacher recommendations? In that case, submitting scores may not be necessary, particularly if scores would look relatively weaker than those other data points (perhaps because your student is a poor test-taker but otherwise performs very well in classes, etc.).
  
  
• By contrast - would the application be relatively light on academic details if scores are not included? Students who excel at extracurricular activities or offer compelling character traits (represented in essays and recommendations), but have less data to offer about strong academic performance, may benefit from supplementing their application with test scores - particularly if your student is a solid test-taker and their scores can demonstrate a good command of academic skills.
  

• Again, consider what must be submitted if test scores are not; some schools will require an additional teacher recommendation or graded writing sample in lieu of scores. Which would be stronger for your child’s application? If sourcing another recommendation or presenting a writing sample sounds challenging or potentially application-weakening, test scores might be the better choice. 
  

You may notice that the actual strength of the scores is often an important factor in whether or not they should be submitted. For this reason, it may be a good idea to go through with the standardized testing process (register for tests, allocate time to studying, etc.) and obtain scores, then decide whether or not to submit them afterwards. While some families have a good sense of how testing might go beforehand (based on the student’s history of test-taking, practice tests, etc.), a number of families can’t accurately predict what type of scores can be expected, so they might prefer to gather scores first in order to have more information when deciding whether or not to submit them. Plus, it’s fairly likely that some schools on your list might require scores even if others are test-optional, so you may automatically need to test (and can then decide later whether or not to submit scores for the test-optional schools). 

Phew… sounds complicated, right? Unfortunately, navigating testing policies has added a new layer of complexity to the admissions process in recent years. Deciding whether or not to test depends heavily on the unique circumstances of your student’s profile and the schools you’re applying to. Our experienced team at Admit NY has the expertise to weigh all of the considerations and help you make a decision; reach out anytime to learn more.