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The Iowa Board of Regents this month voted to become test optional, permanently. That means Iowa State University, the University of Iowa. By eliminating the pressure to produce perfect SAT or ACT scores, test-optional colleges are. While some schools have gone a step further and declared that test scores will be optional beyond (whether that be for an additional.
Why are schools going test optional
In reality, if two students with equal qualifications — outstanding GPA, competitive internship and extracurricular experience, strong letters of recommendation, to name a few — apply to the same Ivy League and top universities but only one of them submits a near-perfect SAT or ACT score, and the other chooses the test-optional route, the student who submitted a score would probably be admitted over the student who decided not to take the test.
Wafa Muflahi, Partner and Senior Program Director of Command Education , a boutique college consulting firm based in NYC and Miami, knows exactly what colleges are looking for and what students should do in order to stand out and have the best chance when applying to top tier colleges. According to Muflahi, a test-optional policy does not mean that a college will not consider test scores entirely. This way, colleges would consider applicants based on the other parts of their applications, thus creating a more level playing field.
While schools say standardized test scores are indicators of academic success in college, in reality, the SAT and ACT tests are fully coachable exams. Our Alumni. Our Reviews. Our Admissions Strategists. Meet Our Teams. Our Values. Student Success. Crimson in the News. Careers at Crimson. Tutoring at Crimson. Crimson Scholarships. US College Admissions Calculator.
UK University Admissions Calculator. Crimson On Demand. Top of the Class Podcast. Student Success Stories. Crimson YouTube Channel. Extracurricular Opportunities. What students should know before taking an SAT prep course. Study International Staff. More and more universities are going test-optional to offer a more fair college admissions process. Is the process perfect? No, but it never can be when you have a group of people evaluating other people.
But it’s pretty close, and you can trust test optional schools when they say not submitting test scores won’t put you at a disadvantage. So what should your final decision be if you’re applying to test optional schools? Should you submit standardized test scores or not?
Your test scores might be higher than you expect, and even if they’re not, if you’re applying to a test optional school, you’re under no requirement to submit them. Taking a standardized test gives you the most options for your college applications. Second, remember what “test optional” means. When a school says they are test optional, it means they don’t require SAT or ACT scores but will still review them if you submit them.
What this all means for you is that, even for test optional schools, strong SAT or ACT scores will absolutely still help your college applications. Not submitting test scores won’t hurt your application, as these schools have stated, but it also means you lose out on a potential chance to make your application stronger. So, how to decide?
Use these guidelines:. Don’t submit scores if you feel they’ll be a particularly weak area of your application. Colleges won’t hold it against you for not being able to take a standardized test, but you’ll still need the rest of your application to be strong in order to convince them to admit you.
What does test optional really mean? If you do submit scores, they’ll be reviewed, but if you don’t, you won’t be penalized and other components of your application will simply be weighted more to take the place of the test scores. More and more colleges are becoming test optional as a way to attract a more diverse student body, not penalize good students who don’t have the resources to prepare for standardized tests, and to account for disruptions to schooling and test centers caused by the pandemic.
Although it may seem doubtful schools really won’t penalize you for not submitting test scores, they’ve put rigorous admission policies in place in order to ensure the process is fair and equal between applicants, whether they submitted scores or not.
If you aren’t happy with your scores, you don’t need to submit them, but if you are, then you can use them to further boost your college applications. Which schools are test optional?
Why are schools going test optional. 4 Things to Know Before Applying to a Test-Optional College
The Iowa Board of Regents this month voted to become test optional, permanently. That means Iowa State University, the University of Iowa. Admissions experts suggest that going test-optional can benefit colleges and students alike. For example, Fay says colleges that go test-. Test-optional colleges: Schools claim that the policy is aimed at increasing diversity. Some researchers suggest it has more to do with.
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