Seniors across the country have begun to drop their incredibly thick test prep books and look to a new future of testing. As a result of recent events, the entirety of the college application process has been nearly entirely rid of sat scores with some completely removing the sat in general.

Most colleges opt for a test-optional strategy which leaves this decision at the mercy of the students, allowing them to decide based on their academic performance as well as their high school GPA.

Students are assured with the guarantee that their application will be judged equally in the admissions process with or without a test score.

Despite the changing climate with covid-19 causing the closures of many schools this allowed for students to experience a much higher level of leniency. It was expected that standardized testing in the form of the SAT or the ACT was already being phased out on their own. These events have only catapulted many colleges to switch to better, more accurate methods of assessing applicants.

Without the heavy burden of testing falling upon highschoolers which includes high cost and very time intensive test prep, students can then make their own choices to invest more of their time in other aspects of school such as their grades or other extracurricular activities that can expand their scope in school and in life.

The burden of testing may once again fall upon the college systems themselves. We may see a return of district and regional-based testing that is based on assessing the learning of the topics that are/or should be covered within a regular high school curriculum.

This change presents a new opportunity for students to change how applications are looked at: A change that will spark growth in the college admissions process.