Test Optional Predictions
Were I a betting man, I'd wager that more colleges will scrap their test optional policies in the coming year.
Last week, Yale (joining Dartmouth, Georgetown, MIT, Georgia Tech, Purdue and others) announced they would now require standardized testing, because
a. they're accurate predictors of how well a student will perform in college and
b. SAT and ACT scores actually improve diversity, not reduce it.
The SAT and ACT are more accurate predictors of college performance because grade inflation is rampant at most high schools. This makes it harder for admissions officers to gauge how prepared a child is for college, academically speaking.
On the diversity front, the dean of admissions at Yale explained that underrepresented minorities and under-resourced students frequently chose not to submit their standardized test scores, which were commonly lower than the median of Yale's published range, but could have nonetheless signaled to admissions that they were gifted academically, and Yale material.
What does this mean for you, if you have an 11th grader or younger?
More colleges will require the SAT for the same reasons cited by Yale's dean. But not only elite colleges.
That means every child should
a. figure out which test is best, for him/her, and
b. get that test score as high as it can possibly go. Assume it will take three tries to max out the SAT or ACT. Could be less, could be more.
However, many colleges will still be test-optional next year. If you apply to some of them and don't submit scores, then the rest of your application, including GPA and rigor of course load, must be competitive at that college in order for you to have a fighting chance.
Ditto your extracurriculars, volunteer hours, recommendations, essays and other parts of the application, of course.
Our next small group ACT class begins next Tuesday, March 5. We have nine seats left. And this class, like all of our classes, is guaranteed (see sign up page, below, for details).
Here's where to learn more and, if you sign up, use coupon code CRUSH2024 for an instant, $100 off "scholarship!"
- Andy Lockwood
P.S. Attention 11th graders: we will be opening early registration for our 10th annual summer Get College Ready Bootcamp this week. Stay tuned for details.