A question I get frequently these days is; should I bother to take the SAT/ACT? When Covid hit, nearly all colleges went with a “score optional” admissions policy. Most are still score optional. Some students know that they are not particularly strong test takers and probably won’t end up using the test(s) on their applications, so they wonder if it is worthwhile to even take the test. My answer is YES, take at least one test. Here is the rationale.
Colleges are slowly turning back to requiring test scores. Currently, most of the Ivy League and similar have returned to requiring test scores. The super competitive colleges were finding it challenging to determine who among their vast pools of qualified applicants were academically strong enough to earn acceptance letters. The test scores give the colleges another data point to add to the admissions puzzle. It makes the admissions job a bit easier and it helps them avoid making errors of judgment in their decision making process.
But what if I’m not planning to apply to the super competitive set of colleges? Do I still have to take the test? Yes, I would. Each year the number of colleges that are returning to test-required is growing. According to the CollegeBoard’s list of colleges requiring test scores bigfuture.collegeboard.org/…/what-colleges-require-SAT (that means SAT OR ACT) there are 21 private and 42 public colleges that now require the submission of test scores. You don’t want to be caught wanting to apply to one of those colleges without test scores in hand! That number is as of January of 2026. That number changes frequently and you should check the list often to see if any of your colleges appear on it.
Lastly, what do you have to lose? If you take the exam(s), and you are not happy with your score, you simply don’t submit it on your application. No harm done. But if you find you must submit scores, you will have them at the ready.