By Lucy Kronzon
Standardized testing scores used to be a cornerstone of every college application. They could either make or break a student’s appeal. Yet when the pandemic hit, the role of testing was forever altered.
So what will the future of college applications look like for students all across the country?
According to Compass Education Group Data, as of 2021, only 2.9% of schools require an SAT or ACT score. 41% remain test optional on a one year trial, which is expected to continue, and 37% will remain optional permanently. In addition, about 8.4% of colleges are test free, meaning they will not even look at scores if submitted.
This data varies significantly from pre-pandemic statistics. Prior to 2020, 64% of schools required standardized testing scores.
Decisions to move to test optional for many schools was based on a multitude of factors. Because of the widespread lockdown, testing sites were shut down for prolonged periods of time in 2020, extending into 2021. However, the permanency of this alteration can be tied back to a much greater cause: the connection between testing and socioeconomic factors amongst students.
The Washington Post reported that students from families earning over $200,000 a year averaged a score of 1,714 on their SAT. This was a sharp contrast to students of families earning under $20,000 a year, who had an average score of 1,326.
This can be attributed to the many resources accessed by wealthier families, such as tutoring services, and the ability to retake the test multiple times. As of 2023, according to The ACT website, testees are fined $88 to take the full test. An additional benefit, superscoring, tailors to families of higher socioeconomic statuses. Superscoring allows students to select scores from different tests, building up a portfolio of sections in which the student excelled. Once again, for families who have the means to retake the test, this becomes a viable option. While not all schools accept superscoring, it is a widespread practice amongst college admissions.
Giving students an option on submitting test scores allows collegest to look further into the appeal of an applicant. Some students just aren’t test takers.
Dana Mackey, Assistant Director of College Guidance at LREI, believes that the movement is a good thing. “I think it’s positive for students, being able to have the flexibility to include their test scores or not,” Mackey said. “LREI has so many great curricular and extracurricular options. Colleges don’t assume LREI students are going to be amazing test takers. I think that’s good. I think that schools know LREI and our curriculum and vibe. They aren’t looking at us to have kids with perfect SAT scores.” However, she brings up an unintended side effect to the movement: “The scores being submitted are creeping higher and higher. At Penn, their average ACT is now 35 or 36- there are schools where even a 34 is average.” Mackey highlights an important piece. Because many are choosing not to submit test scores, those choosing to tend to score very high. However, Mackey believes that the benefits outweigh the consequence of a higher trending average.
An LREI junior, wishing to remain anonymous, feels similarly. “I think this needed to happen. If I was only restricted to schools that took me because of my test score, I think I’d be very limited. Taking tests for me just isn’t what makes my application shine.”
For many, this stands true. Not all merit is reflected in a set of numbers.
As the number of schools going test optional continues to increase, and college applications roll along for the year of 2023, students will have to make decisions on whether or not to submit. For many, this new wave is something greatly positive, and will have beneficial future effects.