We’re getting a lot of questions these days about whether colleges are going to make the SAT and ACT “test optional” for the class of 2022. The honest answer is, right now in February 2021, we just don’t know whether or not schools will be requiring these tests for admission.
Because of COVID-19, for the class of 2021, we would say that 98% of colleges went test optional. As a result of the pandemic, test dates were cancelled, so students simply did not have the opportunity to take the SAT or ACT. As a result, colleges really had no option but to make the test optional for admission. Although, there were, however, some schools that still did require the tests for the class of 2021.
In February 2021, we are still in the midst of the pandemic and we have no idea of when it will come to an end. So it is reasonable for high school juniors to question if the SAT and ACT will be required for their graduating class. Right now, we really don’t know what is going to happen with the test dates and if they will continue to be cancelled because of high infection rates. Although the vaccine is starting to finally roll out, we have no firm dates of when everyone will be vaccinated. Will it be in the spring? Summer? Will infection rates start to drop so that more students can take the tests? If so, many of the schools that went test optional for the class of 2021 may go back to requiring the SAT or ACT for the class of 2022. Everything is really up in the air right now.