Jessica Wynn

I don't know the specifics, but you don't have to take the tests.

So over 1,800 four-year colleges and universities in the U.S.

are test optional or test flexible.

And that number grew significantly during COVID.

Remember, no one knew what the hell to do.

And I think standardized tests just weren't very high on people's list of concerns.

But COVID was this massive disruption and testing centers closed.

Students just couldn't take the SAT or ACT.

They didn't have the capacity to move it all online.

And you know what they found?

They could still identify qualified students.

Their freshman classes didn't suddenly become unqualified disasters.

Yeah, seems to be.

And many schools liked the test optional policy because it increased applications.

More applications means lower acceptance rates, which makes them look more selective, which improves their rankings.

I think that's just American higher education.

It's incentives all the way down.

And the scoring is changing, too.

So you have to know what's new that you're prepping for.

The ACT just announced they're broadening their score reporting.