The SAT and ACT have long been criticized as weak indicators of a student’s potential performance on the college level. Furthermore, many colleges and universities believe that the SAT is downright discriminatory against certain students, including minorities and those who come from low-income families. In order to attract a more diverse community of scholars, more and more schools are waiving the test requirement in favor of a more holistic application review.

Like other standardized tests, the SAT and ACT were designed to be quantifiable ways for students to prove their mettle for college. However, many students would agree that the only thing these tests do is cause a sense of dread that starts long before they pick up their #2 pencils and remains until the scores are released. Test prep programs can certainly help mitigate anxiety, but what happens if you can’t afford to pay for one? As a result, the daunting SAT and ACT has turned away many students who have poor preparation for the test or who simply do not test well—and many schools have suffered from a lack of diversity on their campuses.

It’s not surprising, then, that schools adopting the test-free policy have enjoyed an increase in application pools. Research has shown that the level of academic performance of incoming classes has increased at public schools that do not require the SAT or ACT. However, this might not happen at some elite private colleges that use high scores as benchmarks for narrowing down the application pool. 

Proponents of the no-test policy, including the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, say that it pushes schools to look more closely at the student’s GPA, school activities, and recommendation letters, which are better assessments of academic prowess. Critics of the no-test policy say that between grade inflation and different curriculum standards, it is impossible to use grades as the only quantifiable aspect of a student’s application.

An interesting note is that the schools enforcing the no-test policy are finding that many of their applicants are still submitting test scores with their applications. This could be because students have to take the test for other schools, and so they just submit another score report. It could also be that students are not ready to back down from the SAT and ACT, which are both steeped in the tradition of being a major part of a competitive application process. Only time will tell how much longer the SAT and ACT will cast a shadow over college-bound students.  

If you’ve ever dreamed of the SAT or ACT vanishing into thin air, you’ve got your wish . . . sort of. Many colleges and universities who believe that these standardized tests are not the best way to determine a student’s potential have voiced their opinions in a pretty big way: they are removing the SAT and ACT from their application requirements.

If you are a strong student but freak out when it comes to major tests, this is definitely a time to rejoice. In fact, you are the reason that more and more schools are moving towards making the SAT and ACT optional. These schools question the validity of standardized testing in assessing a student’s future success in college. When you think about it, it does make sense—how could a three-hour test possibly sum up all the skills you have learned during years of schooling? Critics of these tests also point out that standardized testing is prejudiced toward minority and economically disadvantaged students. Much has been said about establishing a test that will be a fairer assessment than what is currently in place with the College Board and the ACT.

Stop doing your happy dance for just a moment and check out this list of SAT-optional schools from Fair Test, an organization dedicated to creating fair and effective admissions standards. Pretty impressive, huh? There are dozens of small liberal arts colleges across the country that are shedding the SAT and abstaining from the ACT, but what’s really making people’s tongues wag is the fact that there are also more and more competitive schools that are appearing on the list, such as Bard College, College of the Holy Cross, and Bowdoin College.

Although the list of test-optional schools is getting longer each year, that doesn’t mean that you should burn your SAT or ACT practice books just yet. There are still plenty of schools—including the Ivies—that are not ready to budge on the testing issue. You may find that you’ll still have to take the SAT or ACT, but you’ll only have to submit scores to a few of the schools on your list. It’s enough to take a bit of the nervous edge away, now that you know there are colleges and universities out there that will look at you as a person and not just a verbal or math score.

You may resume your happy dance now.

 Image by dieselbug2007 and used under a Creative Commons license.