The Changing Landscape of College Testing and Reasons a Student Should Choose to Take the ACT – Including ACT test dates for 2021 and 2022

For decades, colleges and universities required ACT or SAT scores as part of the standard admissions process. Recently, and in part due to the pandemic, schools began offering test optional policies which remove the ACT or SAT testing requirement. Test optional truly means that submitting your test score is optional. Given the changing landscape of standardized testing in higher education, it is important to keep in mind that not all schools are test optional and not all schools are test blind. In other words, if the student sends test scores with their application, the admissions staff will consider the score as part of the application.
If your student is unsure as to whether to prepare and take the ACT or SAT, there are some things to consider. Keep in mind, many colleges have not determined their testing policy for the Class of 2023.

With continued uncertainty around test optional, and with students applying without test scores, your student can stand out in the application process by submitting a quality test score.
If taking the ACT or SAT is on your to-do list, then it is best to schedule test prep with ETA Tutors now in order to maximize test scores.

Here are some additional reasons to consider test prep:

1. Your student may score well on the ACT! This offers your student a competitive advantage over other applicants in the admissions process. The test score gives the admissions staff another data point to consider on the application. If the GPA is not as strong as it could be, test scores may show academic ability which is not revealed in the student’s grades.

2. ACT scores are good for five years. If plans for after high school change, test scores are good for five years, which keeps the options open for college applications in the future.

3. If the student does not submit an ACT or SAT score on the college application, the student’s high school transcript may be weighted more heavily by college admissions counselors, and the same will be true for letters of recommendation and essays. In the new college landscape of “test optional”, applications are reviewed holistically. This means all areas of the application are considered, including the transcript, extracurricular activities, attributes, and character. The outcome of the holistic review varies based upon each particular school’s mission.

4. Postponing the ACT test might mean taking the test when the student is less prepared. If the student is a junior or senior in high school and has been preparing for the ACT or SAT, consider following through with the test prep plan and take the exam. It is likely they will never be more prepared or have more time to prepare than now.

5. Some students want to take the test to see what they score and see the test as a right-of-passage.

6. Most high schools offer a free ACT test date in the spring of junior year. If the student wants a second chance at improving their score or a chance to create a Superscore, schedule with ETA Tutors for test prep and try again. Test prep provides the student with test taking strategies not only for the ACT or SAT test, but the strategies will also be helpful into their college years with their future college exams.

7. Your Composite score is the average of the four subject scores from one ACT test date. Your Superscore is the average of your best scores from each subject from multiple tests. Your Superscore is never lower than a single Composite score.

8. At many colleges and universities, merit aid (free money for college) is given in the financial aid package based upon ACT test scores. Some schools post this information on their websites.

9. Use the ACT test to the student’s advantage when other students are not submitting test scores. Students should research the historical average ACT or SAT test scores at the various schools. This research will help guide the decision of whether to send the ACT score based upon the range of scores for previously accepted students.