Does Harvard consider you a stronger applicant if you choose to include your SAT test scores?

Answered

YES, and NO. At Harvard as well as many other Ivys, standardized test scores are proxy gatekeeping criteria although all Ivys are test optional. So if you are a very strong candidate with exemplary course rigor, grades, ECs, and expository writing ability, you most likely do not need to submit a test score to get a 2, 2+, 2- on your Harvard scorecard based on 100 other scoring criteria.

During the last Harvard lawsuit, their scoring rubric was disclosed and it stated that it was agnostic to those getting 33+ on their ACT vs any higher scores, and 1500+ on their SATs vs. any higher scores. This means that once you met the threshold for either test score, you need not worry about re-taking the SAT or ACT to submit a higher test score. Since that data is about 5 years old, I would think it logical that the threshold is more like 34 ACT and 1520 SAT.

For many, this might seem lower than other elite colleges or even highly rated technical schools but if you consider that 1/3 of the enrollment stems from Legacy admissions, and perhaps another 1/6 from athletes, faculty brats, VIPs, and development applicants, then this number seems about right. ALDCs do not typically have the highest test scores compared to non-hooked Asian or White applicants who probably enter the Harvard class with 35+ACTs and 1550+SATs.

The caveat is that if you submit a test score lower than the 25% percentile such as a 1460 or 32, then your competition is weaker ALDC applicants who have a clear advantage over you based on their connections to Harvard. The minority caveat is that many Black, LatinA, and Indigenous folk do not test as well as Asians or Whites, so submitting 1400 to Harvard might be perfectly acceptable.

So if you score high SAT or ACT, submit it, otherwise do not would be the generally accepted recommendation.