Are there circumstances where not taking SAT/ACT at all makes sense?

[Anonymous]

Our college counselor advised us not to waste our time or money on test prep and testing bc his scores weren’t going to be high enough to submit. He’s already been admitted into two colleges he’s excited about and should have other good options by the time all decisions are in. If you’re aiming for a top school, you need solid test scores. There are plenty of great schools ranked 50-100 where you don’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did DC take the PSAT w/o accommodations (extended time?). If so, it's not a good barometer for the SAT with accommodations.

My DC has a 504 at school (due to slow processing speed) to receive extended time on exams. No other diagnosis, and it was not difficult to get College Board to grant him extended time. If your child has an IEP or 504 and already gets this accommodation in high school now, I don't see why they wouldn't approve it.

Honestly i would try to get the accommodation and then have your DC try the exam. Have them take a practice SAT and see how they do, and then do just a little bit of tutoring. You may be surprised. The gift of time will help the score. Some schools may eventually require it, and some schools link it to merit scholarships even though its not required. If he takes it once and it's not good, don't bother taking it again.

Without accommodations.

We are currently battling to get a 504 after his IEP was deemed completed (most of those were around ADHD not dyslexia, we think the dyslexia accommodations should continue). But that’s another discussion tbh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definitely. There are seven (?) UCs that are test blind.

Focus on UCs and you will not need test scores.

Two issues: top UC's are hard for OOS and the UC's are considering the reinstatement of standardized testing so depending on which year your student would apply that is something to look out for