A Growing Trend: Test Optional Colleges and Universities

If you are a junior, or live with one, you are probably very aware that the sheer mention of these three letters, A-C-T, can set off waves of panic in even the most laid-back student. It is understandable these days, thanks to the heightened selectivity of college admissions, why students (and parents) are caught in the frenzy of how best to prepare for college entrance tests. Many juniors choose to work with a tutor in order to learn test-taking strategies to improve their scores, especially if standardized testing is not a strength.

But what happens if your score still isn’t where you want it to be? Do you continue working with tutors and doing the ACT question of the day hoping and praying for a better score? Is there such a thing as taking the test too many times in the hopes of raising your composite score?

Although preparing for the ACT does yield results, over-taking the test is not the answer. I advise taking the test 2-3 times. And for my students whose ACT scores are not the highlight of their resume, I suggest looking at Test Optional Schools.

Test What?

Test Optional, as in no standardized tests (ACT or SAT) are required for admission.

According to the Fair Test website, over 815 colleges and universities subscribe to the philosophy that “tests do not equal merit”. Rather than relying on test scores, test optional institutions use a holistic review which takes into account other variables beyond test scores, like GPA, course selection, teacher recommendations, activities, and essay responses. In other words, these admissions offices want to understand the whole picture of each candidate and what he/she can bring to campus besides just a test score.

Last fall, I had the opportunity to meet personally with Admission Representatives from three test optional schools: Augustana College, DePaul University, and Lawrence University. Augustana and Lawrence have been test optional for a few years and DePaul will implement the policy starting this fall. Augustana and Lawrence both report their decision to go test optional as being nothing but positive. Although the majority of applicants still report their test scores (Lawrence reports that 25% of applicants choose not to submit standardized test scores and Augustana estimates that just 5% of their applicants are not submitting scores), what is important to note is that the test optional policy does exist and that applicants are in no way disadvantaged for not reporting their scores. DePaul will become a test optional university in the fall because, like Lawrence and Augustana, they support the idea that an ACT (or SAT) score does not always accurately represent the accomplishments and potential of any given student.

Despite this growing trend, most state universities still rely heavily on test scores, as they are unable to conduct full holistic reviews due to the volume of applicants they receive each year. It is true that the majority of test optional schools are smaller schools, however, this movement is only gaining speed and more schools are converting to the test optional policy. For a full list of test optional colleges and universities, click here.

If you (or your child) suffers from test anxiety or just does not perform well on standardized tests for whatever reason, consider exploring test optional schools where the student’s accomplishments over four years of high school — and not just the result of a test taken on one Saturday morning — are what matters most.