The End of Test-Optional Policies in College Admission?
What do Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, MIT, the University of Georgia, Georgetown, Purdue, and Georgia Tech have in common?
As of March 2024, all of these selective colleges and universities have reinstated standardized test requirements that were suspended during the coronavirus pandemic.
The universities that have reinstated the standardized test requirement explain that test scores help them identify students who have the ability to succeed in college in an environment where grading standards may differ widely between high schools across the country.
Furthermore, since colleges consider test scores in the context of the student’s local school environment, a solid test score achieved by a student from a less privileged background can be a strong indicator of that student’s potential for success in college.
While some universities (most notably the University of California and Caltech) have decided not to consider SAT and ACT scores as a part of the admission process anymore, a majority of selective universities, including those that have adopted a test-optional policy, continue to look at standardized test scores when evaluating which students to admit into their freshman class. More to the point, many selective colleges consider standardized test scores to be “very important” when making admission decisions even though students are not required to submit test scores as a part of their college application.
Simply stated, presenting a strong SAT or ACT score in college applications helps students stand out against the competition.
So, what should YOU do?
Before the end of your sophomore year or at the beginning of your junior year, take a practice test for the SAT and ACT to see which test you prefer.
Set a target score based on the average test scores for admitted students at the colleges and universities you are planning to apply to.
Practice and prepare, and then take the test in your junior or senior year.
If you get a score that is above average for the colleges and universities you are planning to apply to, then your score may help you in the admission process.
Colleges consider test scores in the context of your local school environment. So, if your score is above average for your high school, then your score may still help you in the admission process even if the score is not above average for the colleges and universities you’re applying to.
[Note: This article has been updated to include Yale University and Brown University, which announced that they would reinstate standardized test requirements in February and March 2024, respectively.]