Admissions officers are, first and foremost, people. If they see two students who have identical GPAs, but one has submitted high SAT or ACT scores, it is only natural for them to gravitate toward the safer bet. Submitting a high test score will do wonders for your application.

Just because a school is “test-optional” doesn’t mean that they will not look at test scores that are submitted to them. It simply means, you are not required to submit scores. That’s why, if you submit an SAT or ACT score that corroborates your GPA, your application will be much stronger, as your GPA will have more credibility, and on top of that, you are showing how well you performed in a timed and standardized testing setting.

A strong score will corroborate a strong GPA, adding credibility to a successful high school career. Conversely, a strong ACT or SAT score provides a good opportunity for students with less competitive GPAs to provide a separate metric of academic performance.

Higher test results can mean increased opportunities for merit scholarships.