Due to COVID-19, current SAT and ACT testing has been cancelled or postponed. As a result, many universities and colleges have made their upcoming admissions “tests optional.” The University of California (UC) system has decided to follow a five year plan- SAT/ACT testing will be optional for two years, then admissions will be test blind for two years, meaning no scores will be accepted. After five years, if a new college entrance test has not been developed, UC admissions will remain test blind. UC has also announced that although SAT/ACT scores will be gradually phased out in the admissions process for California residents, those scores will still be used for scholarships, course placement, and statewide eligibility for admissions guaranteed to the top 9% of high school graduates.
Based on my extensive experience working with high school students since 2009, I believe an objective and standardized test to assess students’ college eligibility is necessary in addition to their high school GPA. GPAs can be quite subjective in many respects. For example, schools in different locations or with different admissions criteria may have different ways of assessing their students. Each teacher may also have a different level of expectations and grading policies. Standardized testing is an objective way to assess students in terms of what they have learned in high school and their college success prospects.
Indeed, I have been using the ACT/SAT test prep opportunity to rebuild students’ academic foundations and introduce college-level study skills to prepare them for the rigor of college. Their high test scores are merely byproducts of my preparation philosophy and methods. They also learn how to study and how to learn, instead of depending on “study guides” to score on their school tests. In fact, most of my ACT/SAT students have improved their grammar, writing, reading, and math skills, applied them to their academic courses, and become true straight-A students in their high schools.
However, I believe the test optional policy can enable colleges and universities to successfully recruit lower income students who often also qualify for federal and state financial aid such as the Pell Grant and Cal Grant. For those who are competing for admissions and scholarships, it would be wise to take the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test and then either the ACT or SAT. Especially for students who are looking at competitive professional schools, ACT or SAT will be highly recommended. In addition, SAT Subject Test Math Level 2 is often necessary for STEM major applicants to demonstrate their readiness for the highly demanding and challenging programs.
If you examine past SAT and ACT score trends at test optional schools, you may find that the published admissions test score ranges or averages may have risen after they became test optional. The reason is that lower scoring students have decided not to submit their test scores under new test optional rulings. Without the lower scores, the score averages can only go up.
Let’s look at published SAT and ACT score ranges from a few test optional schools:
University of Chicago:
Acceptance Rate: 7%
SAT Score Range: 1470-1570
ACT Score Range: 33-35
Pomona College:
Acceptance Rate: 8%
SAT Score Range: 1400-1540
ACT Score Range: 31-34
Swarthmore College:
Acceptance Rate: 9%
SAT Score Range: 1380-1550
ACT Score Range: 31-34
Bowdoin College:
Acceptance Rate: 10%
SAT Score Range: 1360-1510
ACT Score Range: 31-33
Amherst College:
Acceptance Rate: 13%
SAT Score Range: 1330-1530
ACT Score Range: 31-34
Williams College:
Acceptance Rate: 13%
SAT Score Range: 1410-1550
ACT Score Range: 32-35
UCLA:
Acceptance Rate: 14%
SAT Score Range: 1429-1520
ACT Score Range: 30-34
UC Berkeley:
Acceptance Rate: 15%
SAT Score Range: 1320-1530
ACT Score Range: 31-35
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