Time to Standardize Test-Optional Admissions
“I felt overwhelmed.”
“I was in over my head.”
As seniors across the country and around the world write essays and short answers, complete projects, attend class, play sports, and lead clubs, their anxiety is palpable. Whether it’s on Twitter complaining about SAT prep, on TikTok scrolling through videos of their dream schools, or on Instagram witnessing friends get into their top choice. The last thing students want to worry about is studying for a test that does not measure their intelligence and seems like a waste of time. As colleges and universities begin to shy away from the COVID-induced test-optional policies high school students in all grades are stressed.
“I know my score isn’t gonna be good enough for my dream school.”
“I need to start studying for the ACT freshman fall.”
Post-COVID, standardized test scores should continue to be optional. For many years, colleges have relied on standardized test scores to evaluate the academic strength of applicants. These scores were thought to fairly evaluate one’s intelligence. The test scores were meant to show your strength, weaknesses, and preparedness for college. The SAT and ACT can help qualify you for scholarships and merit aid, and they serve as a final test of what you learned from high school. College admissions that do not take into account the SAT or the ACT increase and promote racial and economic equality and diversity, and also have the benefit of decreasing stress for students both before and during the college application process.
Adopting test-optional admissions policies helps colleges and universities promote equity within their applicant pool and diversity in their accepted class. Students in higher-income schools and wealthier families have more access to test prep, AP classes, and repetitions of the test, resulting in lower-income applicants being at a distinct disadvantage. According to the Washington Post, reporting on SAT scores in 2014, “students from families earning more than $200,000 a year average a combined score of 1,714, while students from families earning under $20,000 a year average a combined score of 1,326.” Expensive tutors, test prep classes, and books that help students succeed on these tests are out of reach for low-income families. In a 2017 experiment, Sexton Test Prep found that “for the junior who takes a mock test cold, scores within the normal range — 16–28 for ACT and 900–1350 for SAT — and then starts tutoring, a standard package of 12–16 tutoring hours usually yields 3–5 points of improvement on the ACT and 100–140 points of improvement on the SAT.” These improvements are hard to replicate solely with self-studying. I had the privilege of having a private tutor who guided me through the ACT process allowing me to increase my score by 7 points, from 28 to 35.
There are many ways that students from higher-income families have an advantage in the college application process. AP classes are more widely available in wealthier public school districts or private schools. These institutions are also more likely to help students prepare for these tests. This effect is not limited to access to an AP curriculum. A study by Indiana University found that all types of advanced courses were associated with higher SAT scores after controlling for student background and courses taken. Also, students who don’t take the PSAT, for instance, have an average score of 1,409, while students who take it twice — once in their junior year and also once before that — have an average score of 1,612. This almost certainly reflects the fact that schools in wealthier communities do a better job of preparing students for standardized testing, including by offering multiple opportunities to take the PSAT.
While wealthier students have more access to test prep and harder class loads, they also benefit from easier access to accommodations. The Wall Street Journal analyzed data from 9,000 public schools and found that students in affluent areas are most likely to get special “504 designations,” typically provided to students with anxiety or ADHD. This designation provides the student with special academic accommodations, like extra time or a private space when taking exams of all sorts — including the SAT. When I was preparing for the SSAT, the private high school equivalent to the SAT, I was encouraged to get a doctor’s note for ADHD or anxiety, neither of which I had shown symptoms for, in order to be eligible for extra time. I rejected this suggestion and succeeded just fine, but it makes me wonder how many students and families agree to this elitist accommodation scam. Both test prep and accommodations are two ways that the college admissions process favors wealthier students over lower-income students. By allowing students to apply without standardized test scores, the college admissions system promotes a more equitable applicant pool and thus a more socioeconomically diverse class.
Colleges and universities that have been test-optional for multiple cycles agree that this policy has resulted in a more equitable selection process. Vern Granger, the director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Connecticut and board chair of the National Association for College Admission Counseling says,
“It’s done what we had hoped it would. We’re seeing a more diverse applicant pool — an increase in African American students who apply, and Hispanic/Latinx students. As our applications from African American and Hispanic/Latinx students have increased, we’ve also experienced growth in the enrollment of these populations. And we haven’t seen any drops in our student performance. So for us, it’s been positive.”
While being test-optional not only promotes equity it also promotes diversity within the applicant pool and accepted class. Being test-optional allows the reader to focus on a more extensive range of factors, including extracurricular activities, community involvement, and personal background. This is beneficial to students who are experiencing issues that could prevent them from scoring as high as they could on standardized tests. Unforeseen circumstances, much like COVID (the reason the schools went test-optional in the first place), including a death in the family, illness, family obligations, and mental health issues are all valid reasons for schools to remain test-optional. The lack of test scores forces the reader to look more closely at other parts of the application like the rigor of classes (based on classes available), transcript, recommendations, and other factors that students can influence. This also benefits bad test takers, slower readers, and students with learning differences, all of whom could be exemplary college students and members of a college community.
By going test-optional, colleges and universities can enhance their already holistic admissions process. Our high seniors are not just a score, not just a GPA, not just a rank. Personality, personal struggles, and emotions can not be displayed with numbers. Without requiring test scores, schools put more emphasis on the student showing their skills, college readiness, and personality through their essay, extracurriculars, and supplementals. Students who are test strong but still succeed in and outside of the classroom are not counted out. When interviewing a student who chose to be test-optional she said: “Being test-optional allowed me to focus more on how I was presenting myself in my extracurricular activities and through my essays. I wanted my voice to shine through, and not stressing out about test scores allowed me to put more time and effort into the other aspects of my application.” Allowing students to put more effort into the more personal aspects of their application is a benefit of the test-optional model. In an interview with Amy Rogers, Dean of College Counseling at Miss Porter’s School, she said: “When it comes to reading a test optional application and an application with a test score added it is an entirely different process. One is holistic and one is number based. Allowing students to be flexible if they do not have the needed scores is a college’s biggest benefit.” Many colleges have had a holistic viewpoint on applications for years but the test-optional movement has allowed them to strengthen it. Amy’s opinion is backed up by the director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Connecticut, Vern Granger when he says: “We’ve had a holistic evaluation for many years. We never based our decision on one factor, nor did the scores get an oversized amount of weight. We looked at it all in totality. We look at the academic record, the profile of the courses a student is taking, the essay, letters of recommendation, extracurricular involvement, and interests. All of these things are considered.” Overall, the lack of test scores encourages admissions application readers to take a more holistic approach and allows students who do not take standardized tests as well to not be counted out.
Colleges and universities can have other motivations for becoming test-optional. For example, it can help them draw a wider range and a higher number of applicants. According to a study conducted by Inside Higher Ed, application numbers typically rise by an average of 29 percent at private institutions and 11 percent at public institutions when schools switch to test-optional admissions policies. Not only does this continue to promote diversity within the school but it is also beneficial for schools that seek higher ratings by keeping their acceptance rate low. When a school denies many applicants, their acceptance rate declines to allow them to look more elite in the eyes of some students. I asked my friends if a low acceptance rate was something that they looked for in a college while applying. One answered, “Yeah, I knew if I saw that 15% or lower that it was probably a more selective and thus better school.” Although this thinking is flawed as a school’s acceptance rate influences ranking and indicates rigor only slightly, this information is still interesting.
The college process is stressful enough. Why force these already stressed, scared, studious seniors to take yet another test? Senior year of high school is filled with hard work. Whether it’s maintaining that 4.0 for college admissions, or playing on varsity teams, the college application process is stressful enough without requiring standardized tests. Having the test-optional option permits the student to focus more energy on other aspects of their application. A high school senior, Kay, says “Having the freedom to be test-optional allowed me to focus more on more important aspects of my application like my personal statement.” With this freedom she was able to craft a personal statement that better reflects her strengths, it would’ve been more rushed if she was busy studying for the ACT, she continues. With the added security of schools being test-optional, students have the time to explore what truly inspires them for their personal statement. Test-optional policies also allow students to believe that they can get into better schools than they may have otherwise. According to Vern Granger: “We want to reduce the anxiety that students are facing. Test-optional is just one way to reduce anxiety for some students who feel that their scores will prohibit them from gaining admittance. We talk about rigor, but by no means are we telling a student that they need to have 10 AP [Advanced Placement] courses. They don’t have to overdo it and create undue pressure on themselves.” Colleges are agreeing that the process is stressful and are actively working to solve this issue. In the past, if the college’s average SAT score was 1500 and a student had 1350 there was little to no chance of getting in. However, now with the test-optional (and even test-blind), policies students seem to have a greater chance of acceptance. This idea alone de-stresses many high school seniors and allows them to dream bigger for their college experience.
While there are arguments both for and against test-optional policies, these policies can promote equity, increase diversity, and enhance the holistic admissions process, which can ultimately lead to more accurate admissions decisions and better outcomes for students and colleges. The test-optional movement has gained momentum in recent years as more colleges have realized the limitations of standardized tests in accurately evaluating a student’s potential. By eliminating test scores as an application requirement during the COVID pandemic, colleges have created a more equitable and inclusive admissions process that takes into account a wider range of factors that can predict a student’s success in post-secondary school. Test-optional policies have also been found to double the diversity of the incoming class, both in terms of socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity. As such, it is clear that more colleges should consider adopting or retaining test-optional policies to promote fairness and access to higher education for all students, regardless of their test scores.
Works Cited:
Bauer-Wolf, Jeremy. “Number of College Applicants Sending Admissions Scores Hasn’t Rebounded, Report Says.” Higher Ed Dive, 21 Nov. 2021, www.highereddive.com/news/admissions-score-numbers-not-back-COVID-Common-Apphasnt-rebounded-rep/636855/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.
Goldfarb, Zachary A. “These Four Charts Show How the SAT Favors Rich, Educated Families.” The Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2014, www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/03/05/these-four-charts-show-how-the-sat-favors-the-rich-educated-families/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.
Jaschik, Scott. “Making the Case for Test Optional.” Inside Higher Ed, 27 Apr. 2018, www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/04/27/large-study-finds-colleges-go-test-optional-become-more-diverse-and-maintain.
Johnson Hess, Abigail. “Rich Students Get Better SAT Scores — Here’s Why.” CNBC, 3 Oct. 2019, www.cnbc.com/2019/10/03/rich-students-get-better-sat-scores-heres-why.html. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.
Turner, Cory. “Why Are Colleges Really Going Test-Optional?” NPR, www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/09/03/436584244/why-are-colleges-really-going-test-optional. Accessed 13 Feb. 2023.
