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The study analyzes applicants’ standardized test scores and disclosure behavior for admission to 50 major U.S. colleges in fall 2021, when Covid-19 accelerated adoption of test-optional practices. Applicants tended to withhold low scores and disclose high scores, conditioning disclosure choices on academic characteristics, institutional selectivity and testing-policy statements, and Covid-related test access constraints faced by local peers.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/strategic-disclosure-of-test-scores-evidence-from-us-college-admissions/266586/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/strategic-disclosure-of-test-scores-evidence-from-us-college-admissions/266586.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Kyle","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-18","2026-09-14",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",13,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What determines the impact of test-optional admissions policies in this study?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"The study focuses on whether applicants act strategically when disclosing standardized test scores.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"How does the research use data for fall 2021 admissions?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"It links individual SAT scores to application records at 50 major selective U.S. colleges and observes disclosure behavior even when scores were not submitted.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"What disclosure pattern does the study find for applicants with low versus high scores?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"Applicants with low scores were less likely to disclose, while higher-scoring applicants were more likely to submit their scores.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},266586,1789409380,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":31,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":130,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},3985741905716,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d","EdWorkingPaper No. 23-843  \nStrategic Disclosure of Test Scores: Evidence from US College Admissions  \nBrian McManus  \nUniversity of North Carolina – Chapel Hill  \nJessica Howell Michael Hurwitz  \nCollege Board College Board  \nThe impact of test-optional college admissions policies depends on whether applicants act strategically in disclosing test scores. We analyze individual applicants’ standardized test scores and disclosure behavior to 50 major US colleges for entry in fall 2021, when Covid-19 prompted widespread adoption of test-optional policies. Applicants withheld low scores and disclosed high scores, including seeking admissions advantages by conditioning their disclosure choices on their other academic characteristics, colleges’ selectivity and testing policy statements, and the Covid-related test access challenges ofthe applicants’ local peers. We find only modest differences in test disclosure strategies by applicants’ race and socioeconomic characteristics.  \nVERSION: September 2023  \nSuggested citation: McManus, Brian, Jessica Howell, and Michael Hurwitz. (2023). Strategic Disclosure of Test Scores: Evidence from US College Admissions. (EdWorkingPaper: 23-843). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University:  \n[https://doi.org/10.26300/1b54-b897](https://doi.org/10.26300/1b54-b897)  \nStrategic Disclosure of Test Scores: Evidence from US College Admissions 1  \nBrian McManus  \nUniversity of North Carolina – Chapel Hill  \nJessica Howell  \nCollege Board  \nMichael Hurwitz  \nCollege Board  \nAugust 25, 2023  \nAbstract: The impact of test-optional college admissions policies depends on whether applicants act strategically in disclosing test scores. We analyze individual applicants’ standardized test scores and disclosure behavior to 50 major US colleges for entry in fall 2021, when Covid-19 prompted widespread adoption of test-optional policies. Applicants withheld low scores and disclosed high scores, including seeking admissions advantages by conditioning their disclosure choices on their other academic characteristics, colleges’ selectivity and testing policy statements, and the Covid-related test access challenges of the applicants’ local peers. We find only modest differences in test disclosure strategies by applicants’ race and socioeconomic characteristics.  \n1 We thank Parker Goyer, Sam Imlay, Meghan Madden, and Katie Widdoss for assistance in data collection and preparation. We received helpful feedback from Gary Biglaiser, Daniel Chaves, Fei Li, Peter Norman, Collin Raymond, Mike Waldman, Paige Weber, Jon Williams, and members of the Admissions Research Consortium’s Research Advisory Committee. Howell ([jhowell@collegeboard.org](jhowell@collegeboard.org)) and Hurwitz ([mhurwitz@collegeboard.org](mhurwitz@collegeboard.org)): College Board, Washington DC. McManus ([mcmanusb@unc.edu](mcmanusb@unc.edu)): Department of Economics, UNC-Chapel Hill.  \n1. Introduction  \nUS colleges and universities are considering significant changes to the role of standardized tests in their admissions policies and practices. Prior to the 2020-21 academic year, most selective postsecondary institutions required standardized tests for applicants, but reduced testing opportunities due to Covid-19 prompted widespread adoption of test-optional policies, with many institutions continuing these policies after pandemic-related testing barriers receded. Test-optional policies, which invite applicants to submit scores if they desire and suggest no penalty for absent scores, are an active area of investigation in education policy and among academic institutions considering retaining these policies permanently.2 The policies’ impacts on competitive admissions and higher education access will depend on how applicantsand institutions regard these policies as strategic opportunities. Several aspects of the college admissions setting raise novel questions about score disclosure behavior and its consequences: Do college applicants, who are gen","cbCaisRcmFIRJxxh","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaisRcmFIRJxxh","pdf",2394270,"English","# Introduction\n## Score disclosure as a strategic choice\n## Data and institutional context","[{\"question\":\"What determines the impact of test-optional admissions policies in this study?\",\"answer\":\"The study focuses on whether applicants act strategically when disclosing standardized test scores.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the research use data for fall 2021 admissions?\",\"answer\":\"It links individual SAT scores to application records at 50 major selective U.S. colleges and observes disclosure behavior even when scores were not submitted.\"},{\"question\":\"What disclosure pattern does the study find for applicants with low versus high scores?\",\"answer\":\"Applicants with low scores were less likely to disclose, while higher-scoring applicants were more likely to submit their scores.\"}]","Strategic Disclosure of Test Scores - Evidence from US College Admissions | PDF",126]