Photo credit: Meredith Ho

A laptop, pens and an SAT prep book sit on a desk. For many students, test prep is more than just practice questions; it means balancing stress, time and finances in an already lengthy admissions process.

As fall begins, seniors are racing against deadlines as the college application season is underway. In the past few years, many universities have announced plans to reinstate testing requirements. Among these schools are Brown, Yale, Dartmouth, Stanford, Harvard and Cornell. This shift extends beyond private institutions, with public universities such as UT Austin and Ohio State changing their requirements as well. As a result, seniors are debating whether to submit test scores, while juniors are weighing their options: SAT, ACT or going test-optional. 

According to Archer’s Associate Director of College Guidance Shalyn Tharayil, approximately 30% of each Archer senior class has submitted test scores in recent years. Tharayil said, for certain institutions, standardized testing serves as a valuable academic data point. 

“Schools like the Ivies always, historically, included testing and relied on testing as part of the admissions process,” Tharayil said. “The further we get away from COVID, I just think [test-optional policy] was something that was always meant to be a temporary solution for them and for other schools.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools adopted a test-optional policy, as the SAT and ACT faced disruptions. Those policies have continued today as they realized standardized test scores are not necessary to distinguish whether students are fit for their institution. 

Although some students have expressed concerns about whether submitting a test score is essential for college admissions, according to Archer’s Director of College Guidance Ivan Hauck, that is not always the case. 

“Many schools are not moving back to test-requirement, because they have seen the positive benefits of test-optional,” Hauck said. “It has opened more doors to more students being able to be admitted on the merits of what they’re doing at school — what they’re doing at home and their communities.”

Before schools went test-optional during the pandemic, Tharayil said testing had already been a major topic of debate. Many students and teachers alike thought standardized tests had a lack of fairness in comparing students.

“There is a big equity issue if some students have access to unlimited Test Lab to take it multiple times and to really prepare, versus other students don’t have that,” Tharayil said. “So I think it’s something that definitely was an issue before, and if more schools were to become test-required, that still is a barrier and still would be an issue.”

Students choose to submit or not to submit scores based on numerous factors. For those aiming for a high test score, test prep centers often recommend studying 5-10 hours each week. This level of preparation requires both time and financial investment, which can vary depending on a student’s circumstances.

For some students, standardized test scores may not fully reflect their academic ability. Senior Belén Haro, a student who receives testing fee waivers, described the inequity within the system. 

“The more you invest in SAT prep, tutoring, etc., which is more accessible to higher-income students, the better, of course, you do on the test, because you have more preparation,” Haro said. “Test optional gave students, like minorities or lower income students, the opportunity to still apply to these more prestigious universities without that weight of having a test score attached to them.”

Haro said not only does the new testing policy impact lower-income students, but it also could influence the diversity of incoming freshmen at colleges that require testing.

“With [schools going] test optional, there was a very high increase for Latino students,” Haro said. “But if that option [was] removed, there’s gradually going to be less and less students with that.”

Even for those who decide to take the test, it may not always capture an individual’s intelligence. Senior Natalie London says that she has never been partial to standardized testing, and she decided to apply test-optional. 

“I understand why it is an important data point, but I think that it does not really reflect the majority of students’ actual intelligence or what they have to show or bring to schools,” London said. “If test scores are a component in their application, then that’s great, and if not, I don’t think it should be held against them … I don’t think that it necessarily plays to everyone’s strengths.”

Still, preparation can make a big difference for those who have access to it. Senior Josie White recalled how receiving tutoring for the math section of the ACT gave her a boost. 

“I was able to relearn subjects that I was never taught, and then also have somebody who could kind of guide and understand the way I think,” White said, “So having somebody who’s a professional in the field of test tutoring … it definitely gave an advantage to an extent.”

With all the emphasis being placed on standardized tests, students can feel pressure to spend hours on studying and score as high as possible, but in the end, testing might not be the most important aspect of your application. According to a study conducted by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, Hauck said admission test scores are ranked 11th in “Importance to Factors” in admission decisions. 

“Most students throughout the United States, when surveyed, actually think testing is the third most important. They say academics, rigor and testing,” Hauck said. “For most colleges and universities, including those that are going back to standardized testing, it usually falls anywhere between sixth to eighth most important.”

The National Association for College Admission Counseling surveyed admission representatives on the importance of each application, and testing is ranked 11th on the list. Hauck recommends that students focus on impact, community and identity to stand out in an application pool. 

“What are your identities? What you care about? How do you identify yourself? What communities do you belong to, or do you hope to belong to, and what positive impact do you hope to have on those communities,” Hauck said. “Make that happen in one way or another, whether in school or outside, that is single-handedly, the best thing that students can be doing to enhance their high school experience and consequently stand out in the admissions process.”