Fewer than half of US college admissions submit SAT or ACT scores | Application | Test scores

[The Epoch Times, 03 dicembre 2022](Collected and reported by Epoch Times reporter Li Xin) According to the general’s communiquéApplicationFewer than half of the students who applied early for college admissions this fall submitted a standardized applicationtest scores。

publicationApplicationAccording to Common Applications Inc., a non-profit organization that manages the Common Application (commonly abbreviated to Common App) for college students in the United States, just three years ago, 78 percent of applicants submitted their first SAT o ACT offer on the Common Applicationtest scores. But less than half of those who took these standardized tests applied for candidacy early this year.

College advisers say the data could flag the United StatesUniversity admissionsA turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic, the practice of suspending mandatory SAT or ACT testing will evolve into a more permanent situation.

The percentage of applicants reporting SAT or ACT scores has dropped significantly since 2020 as testing centers closed during the pandemic, prompting hundreds of colleges to adopt a “test-optional” approach to admitting students, in which is up to you whether you want to submit SAT or ACT scores.

Many observers expect the practice of requiring standardized test scores to return as pandemic restrictions are lifted. but that’s not the truth.

“We’ve actually seen an increase in colleges that don’t require Common Application test scores,” said Preston Magouirk, senior manager of research and analytics at Common Application.

According to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, also known as FairTest, an education group, more than 1,800 colleges adopted “test-optional” this year, including most of the elite public and private schools.

Common Application data also shows that just 4 percent of colleges asked applicants to provide test scores this fall, up from 55 percent in 2019 before the pandemic.

While admissions experts think many schools may be reluctant to reinstate test score requirements, admissions statistics suggest some schools prefer applicants who submit scores. In both cases, however, the “test-optional” approach introduces a new set of complexities into the college admissions process, potentially prompting an in-depth study of the profile of a school’s test score, admissions statistics and of the philosophy of the test.

Responsible editor: Li Yuan#