Likelihood of Master's application being rejected due to obsolete GRE, TOEFL, IELTS scores?

Question

For those who submit obsolete GRE, TOEFL, or IELTS scores (good scores), how likely is it for the admissions committee to reject/throw away the applications due to this? Will they instead review applications holistically?

Answer 1

Submitting an obsolete test score when it is absolutely a requirement is like submitting an unofficial transcript when an official one is required. Schools that really want you will probably contact you to ask for a valid score, and those that do not will just send you a rejection. Either way, you won't receive a formal acceptance if it's an absolute requirement, so it would behoove you to simply take the test or not apply at all (you save yourself a $150 application fee). The exceptions, of course, are when schools don't require the scores or make them optional, which is the direction a lot of universities are taking given the high-stakes nature of admissions. If you are unsure if submitting a score is optional, I would just call the admissions office and ask.