ACT is so last century: Loosened standardized testing requirements change the game for college applicants

With a majority of colleges deciding to remain test-optional this year, the freedom to choose whether to submit standardized test scores has transformed the college application process for upperclassmen.

72% of colleges were test-optional last year, but that number has dipped to 65% this year, according to Fairtest. In contrast, only 40% of colleges were test-optional in 2019 — the last complete application cycle before COVID-19 hit.

Admissions officers at test-optional schools no longer penalize applications submitted without test scores, instead judging them on a holistic scale combining GPA, extracurriculars and essays. This has changed the way many students navigate through their college applications.

“There are schools that have been moving towards test-optional for several years now,” East academic counselor Susan Barr said. “Then COVID hit and sped up the process.”

It wasn’t originally clear if test-optional policies enacted last year would stick around for the 2022 graduating class. However, over 1,600 colleges and universities have already announced they will remain test-optional. Barr predicts test-optional applications will most likely remain the standard for years to follow. 

This is good news for students with better GPAs than test scores, according to Senior Estelle Gordon. For her, the policy provides an opportunity to apply to extra “reach” schools that have low acceptance rates. 

“Standardized testing is such a bad measurement of intelligence and skill,” Gordon said. “I have a hard time testing under time constraints.”

Students who are strong standardized test-takers are also affected by test-optional policies. Currently a student at the University of Arkansas honors college, 2021 East alum Wyatt Backer had his college plans influenced by test-optional applications. 

Backer received a 90% discounted tuition scholarship for his exceptional GPA. The scholarship was modified after test-optional applications were implemented, originally requiring an ACT score of 32 to be eligible. However, the test-optional announcement was made after Backer had already taken the ACT — twice. 

Backer wanted to improve his ACT score during his junior year to increase his scholarship opportunities and admission chances at selective schools. In retrospect, he might not have put in extra time and money to improve if he’d known many schools would end up as test-optional. He ultimately would’ve earned the scholarship anyway based solely on his GPA. For him, test-optional led to wasted time.

Unlike Backer, college applicants this year have had an earlier warning about the new policies. 

There has been a drop in standardized test anxiety among seniors applying to test-optional schools, according to senior Isabella Marquez. She is also applying to an extra “reach” school, Texas A&M, and is planning on only sending her ACT score to that one school.

“It’s pretty easy to get into the other schools I’m applying to, so it’s unnecessary to send them my score,” Marquez said. “I’m just submitting to A&M’ for the chance of scholarship money.”

A downside to test-optional policies is that many colleges are having the lowest acceptance rates in years, according to Barr. Competition has increased, as many applicants are set on the same elite schools regardless of their test score.

“I was shocked that some students from East didn’t get into certain schools last year,” Barr said.

2021 East alum Annakate Dilks experienced these higher stakes firsthand last year, after applying to all of her “reach” schools with no ACT score. She was only able to take the ACT once before the COVID-19 lockdown and never had the chance to raise her score. Dilks’ strong GPA alone wasn’t enough for the tight admissions at her reach schools.

“In the long run, I think test-optional hurt me because the applicant pool was super competitive,” Dilks said.

Looking forward, most — if not all — students’ college preparation strategies will be affected by test-optional for years to come. Barr recommends that students decide whether to send their scores to a college based on the median score for that college. She believes the decision is on a case-by-case basis and urges students to contact their counselor with any questions about test-optional policies.

“Overall, these policies level the playing field and give universities an accurate picture of who a student is, with or without a test score,” Barr said.