As we mark the end of another college application season, I wanted to share some of my observations on the status of ACT and SAT testing policies. We have seen the landscape of college admissions in the United States change significantly in recent years, and among the most important changes are those involving standardized testing.
Many colleges and universities have adopted test-optional policies, allowing students to decide whether to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of their application. The shift toward test-optional admissions gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic when access to testing was restricted. Schools found that removing standardized test requirements helped maintain application numbers and increased diversity among applicants. As a result, many schools extended or made permanent their test-optional policies. The trend has been supported by ongoing debates about the fairness and effectiveness of standardized tests in measuring student potential.
It is important to note that institutions self-identify their testing policies, and those policies could be subject to change at any time. Some schools have already announced their plans for next year. For example, the University of Notre Dame was among the first institutions to confirm it will be test-optional for applicants from the Class of 2027. Conversely, some of the Ivy League schools are reinstating testing requirements or variations thereof (strong AP or IB scores, for example). We are also starting to hear some new terms crop up such as “test-flexible”, “test-preferred”, and “testing required”, further reinforcing uncertainty for the future.
My advice to students in the Class of 2027 is to focus on where you want to apply in the fall. If you are determined to achieve admission to a top tier college or university in the US, then you must also work hard on your test prep for the rest of this year while also keeping your grades high. As an aside, high standardized test grades will also open more merit money and scholarships which adds incentive.
Many students find the standardized testing process traumatizing and have eagerly embraced test optional as the way to go for them. A strong application, engaging essays, solid grades, sincere letters of recommendation and extracurricular activities should be plenty of information for a college to perform a holistic review of a student. It seems counterproductive to me to cast a pall over a student’s overall strong effort with the results of a two or three standardized tests.
I recommend to all juniors to begin to refine the list of schools they want to apply to, check the testing policies of all those schools, and make their decisions accordingly. Good luck!
Ellen Roesch, Your College Coach!
Albany, New York
