Many students are familiar with the tense feeling of walking into a standardized testing room, with No. 2 pencils and half-charged computers clutched in shaky hands. The SAT and ACT exams are a large source of stress for students ranging from the awkward freshman to the overwhelmed juniors. Preparation for these exams might begin as early as middle school for some students, as they aim for a shiny perfect score to put on their college applications. 

Test score policies in the college admissions process differ from school to school, and new policies are constantly being added. Most commonly and notoriously: test-required, which mandates that students submit their SAT or ACT scores to the schools they apply to. But in the past five years, the test-blind policy has been growing in popularity. The University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems are well-known examples of this policy; these schools don’t consider test scores at all, even if a student wants to submit them. Test-optional schools allow students to submit their scores and consider them for admission, but those who choose not to submit their SAT or ACT scores are not disadvantaged. A newer policy on the rise is test-flexible, similar to test-required where standardized test scores are required, but students can submit scores from exams beyond just the SAT or ACT, including AP and IB tests.

Historically, SAT and ACT scores have been incredibly important in college admissions. Just ten years ago, the vast majority of universities in the United States required and heavily considered standardized test scores in their admissions process. The test-optional shift occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the country-wide quarantine made it difficult for students to take the SAT or ACT. Michelle Wu, a senior at Wilcox currently applying to colleges, mentions an additional reason for the shift away from the test-required policy: “The SAT claims to predict first year academic performance in college, but when a large aspect of the gaps in SAT scores stem from a combination of luck, access, and privilege, it’s dubious how accurately these tests can actually measure intelligence.” From 2020 to 2024, countless universities went test-optional in favor of using a more holistic approach for admitting students. 

With the sudden transition to test-optional, the college admissions process has undergone drastic changes. A 2023 study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling found that 44.3% of college admissions officers consider extracurriculars to be moderately to considerably important in the admissions process. Once the importance of test scores decreased, both students and admissions officers turned their attention to other aspects of the application, most notably extracurriculars. Instead of stressing themselves out over a perfect 1600 score, students began to prioritize stacking up their extracurricular list with impressive activities like founding nonprofit organizations or participating in fancy internships. 

But by the time of the 2024-2025 application cycle, schools like Brown, Dartmouth, and Harvard were reinstating their test-required policy. As of the current cycle, many schools around the country—the most notable exception being the UCs and CSUs—have brought back test score requirements to their applications. Though in contrast to pre-COVID times, universities such as Yale and NYU have implemented test-flexibility rather than fully bringing back the stricter test-required policy. Wu reflects on this shift as she embarks on her own college application journey: “I do recognize the need for a quantifiable number to compare applicants, but students are mostly concerned that their ability to take a test doesn’t truly represent who they are as a person.” The test-optional movement certainly emphasized a greater focus on the aspects of an application that may better reflect a student’s character, especially extracurriculars and essays. For this reason, many schools will likely maintain flexible test score requirements, allowing admissions officers to continue looking at applicants more holistically. 

While test-optional is beginning to fade amongst top universities, this policy definitely won’t disappear entirely. Universities are entering a new era of test score requirements, likely making a full shift to more test-flexible policies. This doesn’t mean the SAT is entirely losing value, though. While famous schools such as the UCs and CSUs don’t consider test scores for admissions, impressive SAT and ACT scores can help students earn merit scholarships. At the end of the day, the movement towards more flexible test score requirements isn’t meant to put strong test takers at a disadvantage, but to put all applicants on an even playing field.