Since it began in March, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered various aspects of life as we know it, including the college admissions process and the classic ACT and SAT entrance exams. Due to surges in Covid cases, many testing sessions for these exams were canceled earlier during the pandemic, limiting access to these exams and denying many students the option to test in time to submit their applications. As a result, many colleges shifted to a short-term test-optional status. With test-optional colleges, students choose whether or not they want to submit their ACT or SAT scores with their applications. Test-optional colleges are not the same as test-blind colleges, however, which do not consider any submitted exam scores at all. Rather, for test-optional colleges, scores are not mandatory, nor are they the main indicating factor for admission. 

While I believe that the ACT and SAT can certainly help pinpoint a student’s likelihood of succeeding in college, I do not believe that they should be the deciding factor in a student’s admission either. There are plenty of intelligent and capable people who apply to colleges who merely underperform in standardized testing environments. Their scores on these tests would not accurately reflect their potential for success. There are also people who possess a different category of intelligence, which is not recognized by classic standardized exams. Test-optional colleges allow both types of students the opportunity to display their talents in ways that standardized tests cannot.

Moreover, a standardized test only represents several hours of a student’s career. What if there are certain unfavorable conditions on test day, which cause the student to score lower than they normally would’ve on any other day? Is it fair to say that any achievements attained during a student’s four years should be heavily outweighed by a single day’s exam? Similarly, if a student with a high GPA, who also participates in various extracurricular activities, happens to score lower than another student who has a lower GPA and little to no extracurriculars, would their test scores justly determine who the better candidate for the school is? Test-optional colleges allow for greater attention to be paid to the more crucial elements of a student’s application, such as grades, extracurriculars, and general involvement within their community – elements that up until now have been overshadowed by ACT and SAT scores.

Although test-optional colleges provide a varied number of benefits, the switch to test-optional does come with its disadvantages. Since some colleges that once required ACT/SAT scores are now removing that requirement, there are more people now applying who in prior admission cycles would have believed they had no chance of admission to these schools. As a result, the colleges are receiving a higher number of applications and must reject more applicants, leading to record-breaking low acceptance rates. Furthermore, since test-optional colleges allow for greater emphasis on the other parts of a student’s application, the students will be more inclined to focus on their areas of strength. Students can, therefore, strengthen their chances of admission to these schools by presenting a more authentic version of themselves.

One could argue that test-optional colleges, while they are technically “test-optional,” still consider the scores, which impacts admission. Students who opt not to submit test scores are viewed as less competitive. In turn, they may have a lower chance of getting in. But, test-optional schools remain beneficial in their emphasis on other aspects of the application. Therefore, there’s still an increased opportunity for students to showcase their strengths and talents in ways other than standardized tests.

Since colleges have gone test-optional, there has been greater diversity within the student body with “no notable difference in academic achievement between students who opted out of testing and those who submitted scores,” according to Wake Forest University. Since Wake Forest University’s test-optional policy went into effect in 2008, the ethnic diversity of the student body has increased by 90%. Likewise, studies show that performance on standardized tests correlates directly with education level and family income. By making standardized tests optional, colleges can focus on the overall academic performance of their applicants, which Marist College states, “can best illustrate commitment, motivation, work ethic, and a willingness to take on challenges.”

With test-optional colleges becoming the new norm, the odds of applicants being admitted to a college that best caters to their potential are enhanced and are making way for a more inclusive student population.