Selective Colleges Going Test Optional

[Anonymous]

As the June SATs are cancelled following March and May, do you think more selective colleges will go test optional next year?

[Anonymous]

Of course. That's been in the news for about 3 weeks. Check the list at fairtest.org.

Colleges are marketing to panicking juniors. They are afraid of getting fewer apps and test optional is an easy way to boost those numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course. That's been in the news for about 3 weeks. Check the list at fairtest.org.

Colleges are marketing to panicking juniors. They are afraid of getting fewer apps and test optional is an easy way to boost those numbers.

Haven't looked in a few days but the list I saw originally included no competitive schools.

I mean, if you want to go to the University of Virginia at Wise, go for it.

Nothing wrong with these universities at all, but I just don't see the "selective" schools jumping on this bandwagon just yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course. That's been in the news for about 3 weeks. Check the list at fairtest.org.

Colleges are marketing to panicking juniors. They are afraid of getting fewer apps and test optional is an easy way to boost those numbers.

Haven't looked in a few days but the list I saw originally included no competitive schools.

I mean, if you want to go to the University of Virginia at Wise, go for it.

Nothing wrong with these universities at all, but I just don't see the "selective" schools jumping on this bandwagon just yet.

Looks like the list hasn't changed since I looked last: http://www.fairtest.org/sites/default/files/ACT-SATWaiversfor2020Admissions.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course. That's been in the news for about 3 weeks. Check the list at fairtest.org.

Colleges are marketing to panicking juniors. They are afraid of getting fewer apps and test optional is an easy way to boost those numbers.

Haven't looked in a few days but the list I saw originally included no competitive schools.

I mean, if you want to go to the University of Virginia at Wise, go for it.

Nothing wrong with these universities at all, but I just don't see the "selective" schools jumping on this bandwagon just yet.

Looks like the list hasn't changed since I looked last: http://www.fairtest.org/sites/default/files/ACT-SATWaiversfor2020Admissions.pdf

This list isn't complete so I'm not sure where they're getting information or how often they're updating. For example my daughter is going through recruiting for a sport and has heard from the coach at Swarthmore that they are test optional. Also heard from Kenyon and they are too. For my daughter that makes it easier to try for Swarthmore since she has good grades from a "big 3". She never got to take the test but was doing well on practice tests so if it opens up she'll take the test but if she doesn't need to I'm ok with that.

[Anonymous]

DD is looking at SLACs. She has gotten emails mentioning that the following will be test optional for this year:

Williams
Middlebury
Bowdoin
Swarthmore

[Anonymous]

Test optional is a way to just accept who they want and not have any embarrassing audit trail of declining average SAT scores. It is also blatantly racist again Asians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looks like the list hasn't changed since I looked last: http://www.fairtest.org/sites/default/files/ACT-SATWaiversfor2020Admissions.pdf

The list is at this other link, and is relatively up to date: http://fairtest.org/university/optional

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like the list hasn't changed since I looked last: http://www.fairtest.org/sites/default/files/ACT-SATWaiversfor2020Admissions.pdf

The list is at this other link, and is relatively up to date: http://fairtest.org/university/optional

It's a bit confusing because some colleges may be only test-optional for this fall but aren't in the PDF list (e.g. UCs) and some are test-optional for 2 years for covid and others a 3 yr trial, etc. It's easier for now to glance at the full list or go to the specific college's website to check. If there's an issue with fall in-person testing, I'm quite sure many more top schools will be test-optional for the one cycle, just so as to not miss any apps from someone who wouldn't be able to do the at-home version.

[Anonymous]

I think many of those schools were already test optional or test flexible. I went to a lower ranked SLAC than the top ones that was already test flexible 15 years ago. It is now test optional. I think many SLACs are going in this direction.

Not sure about Ivies and Ivy + schools.

[Anonymous]

will be interesting to see how this plays out. kids with top scores will always submit them, and kids without, wont. not sure that not submitting scores will ultimately help anyone gain admission unless they are part of a desired admission target group.

[Anonymous]

Waiting to see if Boston College or University of Richmond will go test optional. Not too many superb schools on the list yet... only about 15 or so. Bring it on so my child can stop prepping for this useless test.

[Anonymous]

Probably not, you can take the test online now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Probably not, you can take the test online now.

Not just yet. The online option only happens if high schools are not open for in-person testing.

It'll be interesting to note the timing of test-optional announcements. There have been a bunch, Case Western was the first to do so for coronavirus, though they apparently had been contemplating that for some time. I figure the more "needy" the college is feeling for app numbers, the sooner they'll go test optional.

[Anonymous]

Online testing will be a disaster. Great! The next cheating scandal and the colleges know it.