Standardized testing has returned, and in full, unmitigated force. Earlier this year, top schools such as Stanford, Caltech, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Brown, and Yale put an end to their temporary test-optional policies, becoming the second wave of schools to do so after MIT and Georgetown. As of October 2024, seven out of the twelve “Ivy Plus” schools require students to submit a score from either the SAT or ACT on their applications. Represented by these decisions, is a trend of returning to pre-covid test-required policies, the justification of which being the same as it was originally. Stu Schmill, dean of admissions at MIT has stated that colleges “believe a requirement is more equitable and transparent than a test-optional policy.” The question is: Just how much consideration is given to test scores these days?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly all schools in the U.S went test-optional. This continued for several application cycles. The policy began to reverse in 2022. With the changes came re-evaluations of standardized testing’s significance from admissions offices and applicants; nothing really changed regarding standardized testing. The student consensus was mixed: “standardized testing isn’t the most important thing in college applications, but it is still important and can help you get in,” said a Junior at Skyline in a written response. Indeed, data shows, like before, although test scores won’t make or break one’s application, they do still make a difference. And analysis of the classes of 2021-2023 showed that, across thirteen top schools in the U.S, students were on average 2.1 times more likely to be admitted if they submitted a test score.
Taking standardized tests presents even more complications. Tests like the SAT have been notorious for testing content and skills often not explicitly taught in school. A Skyline Junior identified this as one of the primary causes of test-related anxiety, “I felt stressed out or anxious since it can be difficult to find out what resources to use and what works best for yourself.” When these difficulties are combined with the high-stakes, the general feeling among students is standardized testing becomes just another looming item on their already busy schedules.
Standardized testing will, in one way or another, be a part of the high school experience. To take or not to take, to study hard or not at all, to submit or to withhold. These are all decisions that must be made with deliberation and for better or worse, such will likely be the case for the foreseeable future as standardized testing doesn’t seem to be going away.
