When the novel coronavirus began to spread throughout the U.S., it upended numerous facets of higher education including in-person instruction, the college admissions cycle and entrance exams such as the ACT and SAT.

Test-makers canceled previously planned sessions of the ACT and SAT and have shifted those exams to later dates this year. But even so, many colleges are reacting to the pandemic by removing testing requirements for applicants.

"Some schools are running an experimental pilot program to evaluate the effectiveness of test-optional, other schools are taking this moment to announce a full transition to test-optional," says Ginger Fay, director of independent educational consultant engagement at Applerouth Tutoring Services in Atlanta.

Others, she adds, have suspended exam requirements for now but will likely revert once the COVID-19 pandemic passes.

"At this moment, there are new schools announcing test-optional policies every day," notes Robert Schaeffer, interim executive director of FairTest, which has long fought to reduce the role of testing in college admissions.

Even testing organizations cede the importance of flexibility in these tumultuous times.

"ACT respects the right of every college to determine its own admission policies, particularly in the midst of a crisis such as COVID-19 where flexibility and managing disruption is paramount," reads part of an ACT statement.

The College Board, makers of the SAT, provided a statement to U.S. News with a similar tone. "We support colleges that are rightfully emphasizing flexibility for the admissions process for next year," the statement reads in part.

Additionally, both statements emphasize a belief that these exams remain vital to the admissions process.
 

What Test-Optional Means for Students

While colleges already consider these elements, they grow in importance in the absence of standardized test scores.

What Test-Optional Means for Colleges

Admissions experts suggest that going test-optional can benefit both colleges and students alike. For example, Fay says colleges that go test-optional tend to receive more applications overall and from a more diverse class of candidates.

Colleges going test-optional are no longer outliers. It's becoming an increasingly popular position, Schaeffer observes.

The University of California system, which comprises 10 campuses including the prestigious University of California--Los Angeles and University of California--Berkeley, had announced in March that it would go test-optional for students applying for fall 2021 admission due to the coronavirus pandemic. On May 21, a new plan approved by the Board of Regents extended the test-optional policy through 2022. In addition, the entire UC system will go test-blind for in-state applicants in fall 2023 and fall 2024, and the ACT or SAT test requirement will be eliminated by 2025, potentially replaced by a new test the system is considering developing.

"Going test-optional has never meant schools are test-blind," Applerouth explains. "Test-blind is a very different thing."

Test-blind means that colleges won't look at scores even if a student submits them.

Students should check application requirements at their target schools to understand the testing policy of each.

Why Students May Want to Consider Taking College Entrance Exams

Admissions experts, testing organizations and even some skeptics agree – it still makes sense to take the ACT or SAT.

"Give it a shot and see where the score falls," Fay says.

If the outcome is positive, a student can move forward knowing that standardized testing can be a strong part of his or her profile, she says. If not, a student can try to retake the exam for a better score or omit the results on test-optional applications.

"They could opt out if they want. There are plenty of colleges now that are test-optional and you don't need to play the game," Schaeffer says. But, he adds, that can become more complicated depending on the number of schools to which a student applies.

"The odds are that one of the schools on that list will probably still require a test."