American University in Washington D.C. has announced that they will be going test optional for all students who apply to the college by November 1.  Last year they were test optional for students applying early decision so this is an expansion of last year’s policy.

Students wishing to have their admission decisions made without considering their test scores need to simply submit a test-optional form along with the rest of their admission materials. If a student wishes to have their test scores considered, then they do not have to submit this form.

I noticed that American clearly says in their notice that using the test optional program will not affect a student’s consideration for merit awards or for their honors program.

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Colorado College has officially changed the testing requirement for admission to the college. Unlike many other colleges that have eliminated standardized testing, Colorado College still requires testing but is providing many more options for students to submit scores.

Here is their new policy:

Three exams of the applicant’s choice chosen from a list of acceptable SAT or ACT sub scores, SAT II Subject tests, AP or IB exams, or the TOEFL test for international students. Students choosing this new option must include at least one quantitative test and one verbal or writing test.

So, if you still want to submit an SAT I or ACT test you may do so. But, if you want the college to consider, as an example, your SAT reading score, your ACT math score and your AP Biology score, that works also.  I have talked with the admission office regarding the new policy and their intent is to make it easier for each student to show their strengths.

While I am still not a huge fan of standardized testing, I congratulate Colorado College on reaching a compromise that give them more information about each student while recognizing that each student has different strengths.

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Princeton Review has decided to no longer make claims regarding the average test score increase by students taking their prep classes.

Princeton Review made the decision voluntarily but after an investigation by the Better Business Bureau.  The investigation was started after Kaplan test prep claimed that Princeton Review had no basis for their claims of test score increases.

I think paid test prep for the SAT and ACT has its place for some students. But the claims that had been made by Princeton Review implied that the average test score increase might apply to all students. Yet a recent study of paid test prep found that the average test score only increased on the SAT score by 30 points.

I applaud Princeton Review for making the decision to eliminate the claims of huge test score increases so that students are not misled about their chances.

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Saint Anselm College and Southern New Hampshire University have both announced that they will be going test optional for the next application year.

The number of test optional colleges is now over 830.

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Ursinus College has announced that they are going test optional starting with the freshman class of 2011.  This means that they will no longer require the SAT or ACT for admissions to the college.

Ursinus is a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania and with this announcement join a growing group of colleges that are test optional. Ursinus is one of Loren Pope’s “Colleges That Change Lives“.

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Almost every day I get asked a question like “I got a 30 on my ACT, what colleges are good for me?”  There is no way for anyone to answer that question but let’s look at what impact test scores like the SAT and ACT do have on college admissions.

The most important thing to understand is that test scores alone will never guarantee admission to a selective college. You can have a 2400 SAT or a 36 ACT but if you don’t have the grades to go with that high score, you will have trouble getting admitted to a very selective college.

The problem with high test scores and low grades is you look like a bright slacker to the colleges. And no college wants to have a student that isn’t motivated and who may fail out for lack of trying.

Now, that is not to say that high test scores won’t help in admissions. But more important than test scores at every college are your grades and the classes you have taken to get those grades.

If you have good grades in challenging courses and good test scores you will be competitive for selective college admissions. That means that your grades and test scores will get your application a serious look by the admissions committee.  This is particularly true at public universities as they rely primarily on grades and test scores in making admissions decision.

But, there are many other factors that go into admissions at a selective private college.  What activities have you been involved with, have you shown leadership, how strong are your application essays and other factors also play an important part in admissions at private colleges.

While test scores on the SAT and ACT are very important for many colleges, there are also a number of colleges that are going test optional. In fact, at this point, there are over 800 colleges that do not require a student to submit an SAT or ACT score with their application.

So, what do I say to students that ask what colleges are good for a particular test score? Figure out what you want from a college, including academic competitiveness, size of college, location and environment and then find colleges that meet your complete needs.

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Many students have recently received their SAT and ACT test scores and for many of you these are your final scores. If you did well, congratulations. If not, all is not lost.

Not everyone is aware that there are over 800 colleges in the US that are test optional. In other words, you don’t need to submit either the SAT or ACT for admissions.  And if you think only non competitive colleges don’t require test scores, think again. There are some great colleges that don’t require tests. Bowdoin, Bates, Mt. Holyoke and just three examples of very strong, competitive colleges that don’t require the SAT or ACT.

To see a list of test optional colleges go to FairTest.org.

Not everyone is good at taking standardized tests. It has nothing to do with how smart you are. If you happen to be one of those students whose abilities are not reflected by your test scores, start checking out test optional colleges.  You can still receive a great education.

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There have been a number of colleges that have announced test optional policies in the past several weeks. Sacred Heart University eliminated the need for ACT or SAT test scores for all incoming freshman except home schooled students and international students.

The State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam not only eliminated the need to send test scores but also revised their entire admissions approach which had previously only considered grades and test scores. Now the college will consider essays, recommendations and interviews as well as grades.

Washington and Jefferson College has also announced a test optional policy. Under their new policy students who do not submit test scores will be required to have an interview with a member of the admissions staff either on campus or by phone.

Congratulations to these colleges for providing three new options for students who do not test well.

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Smart Money magazine has published an interesting article entitled “10 Things College Admissions Tests Don’t Do.”  Among the things that the SAT and ACT don’t do:

1.  We don’t measure what you think we do.

3.  You don’t have to be Shakespeare to ace the essay.

7. There’s no point in taking both tests.

For all 10 things that the tests don’t do, go read the article.

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A fairly common question I receive is whether you need to submit both the SAT and ACT to a particular college.  The quick answer is that you only need to submit the SAT or the ACT but not both.

In the past I had addressed the question of whether a student needed to take both tests and again the answer was no.  If you have already taken both the SAT and ACT and are trying to decide which test to send to the colleges, check out this earlier post comparing the scores from the SAT and ACT.

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