For juniors planning on going to college, the current stretch is one of the most important parts of the entire high school career. Tensions are high, with ACT scores out and college applications opening in a little less than 3 months. But what can your ACT scores actually do for you? In a test-optional world, it’s important to consider your options. After the pandemic, many universities switched to a test-optional policy, but what does that actually mean? Test-optional means that universities don’t require you to submit your ACT when you apply and assert they will review the rest of your application without penalizing you for missing ACT scores. Local universities such as NDSU, UND, and MSUM have all adopted this system. But just because you aren’t required to submit your ACT, is not submitting the best option? Let’s look at an example. UND has an average ACT middle score range (25-75th percentile) in the range of 20-26, and NDSU has a range of 20-24. If you do have an ACT score lower than this range, it wouldn’t necessarily mean an instant rejection, but since these universities give the option not to send your ACT scores, you’re best off taking that offer and focusing on emphasizing the other parts of your application. If your ACT is in or above that range, then you should most likely send it, as both UND and NDSU and many other universities in the region take into account a high ACT score for scholarships. NDSU will start to consider you for an academic scholarship with as low of a score as 25. But what if you’re trying to go out of state? MSUM has very similar standards to NDSU, with an average ACT range from 19-25. A higher ranked university like the University of Minnesota -Twin Cities, which is also test-optional, on the other hand, has an average ACT middle range from 27-32. A university like UMN has a much lower acceptance rate, meaning you should consider carefully whether to send your ACT score. Considering the fact that University of Minnesota has fewer scholarship opportunities for out of state students compared to North Dakota Universities, you should think twice about sending your score unless it’s in the 30s.