The optimization of azimuth angle settings of a polarizer-compensator-sample-analyzer off-null ellipsometric sensor system to obtain maximum intensity changes with respect to changes in the properties of a sensing layer, with and without considering changes in s reflectance, is studied. Optimal conditions in the two cases are derived analytically under the assumption that linear relationships exist among the changes in the parameters of the sensing layer. The validity of these optimal conditions is verified by numerical examples. The advantage of using ellipsometry compared with reflectometry to readout sensing information for some sensing samples is also discussed.