Understanding the Test Optional Movement
by BEN T. PHILLIPS, ED.D.
Professor of Educational Leadership
Colleges use the term test optional to describe an admissions process that does not require scores from standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT. While the movement has been around for decades, the COVID pandemic accelerated the adoption of test optional policies by colleges and universities nationwide.
Understanding the current state of the test optional movement is critical for college-bound students and their parents as well as the educators who work with high schoolers.
Knowing the History
The test optional movement is not new. In fact, the primary supporter of the movement, FairTest, began documenting colleges with test optional policies in 2005. The main reason FairTest and other affiliated groups support test optional policies is because they claim standardized tests are flawed and biased. The argument centers on the premise that the tests do not fairly measure merit and that testing favors privileged students while placing “racial, class, gender, and cultural barriers” on students from underrepresented groups.
The global pandemic forced a massive wave of adoption of test optional policies. The few hundred colleges on FairTest’s original test optional list swelled to over 1,800 colleges. The increase was not due to a shifting philosophical view of testing though; instead, the increase was necessary simply because so many high school students were unable to take a college admissions test during the nationwide shutdown.
Reading the Fine Print
The test optional label is not a one-size-fits-all description. The term means vastly different things across the university landscape, and students and parents must read the fine print of colleges’ policies to fully understand the details—and discrepancies—of each approach.
For example, the University of Tennessee at Martin admits students without a test score, but requires a test score before a student can actually enroll.
At Auburn University, the test optional pathway is only for students who could not take a test, and admissions officials clearly explain that test optional students will have limited access to scholarships, honors participation, and other opportunities.
The fine print surrounding scholarships is not unique to Auburn. Many of the test optional universities will offer admission to students without a test score but will offer only minimal amounts for scholarships. Still others offer no scholarships at all without ACT or SAT scores.
The university we are most closely affiliated with--Union University in Jackson, Tennessee—is only piloting test optional admissions and has set a cap on the number of first-time freshmen who can be admitted under the policy.
Applying to a college as a test optional student very likely does not afford the same privileges and opportunities as applying with a test score. Students and parents should examine test optional policies in detail and ask all the right questions of the admissions staff.
Falling Short of the Promises
Critics of test optional policies point out that the movement has failed to produce the stated outcomes. For example, the population of college students has not become any more diverse, nor have the inequities in U.S. educational systems been erased. Unfortunately, some students do not have access to a high-quality education and struggle to perform at levels of their more privileged peers. However, eliminating the ACT or SAT does little to address these deep-seated issues.
Returning to Pre-COVID Requirements
In recent months, the trend to offer test optional admissions has slowed—or even reversed in some cases. Now that COVID is largely in our rear-view mirror, colleges that adopted these policies are re-evaluating them. In March, MIT officials announced that students will be required to submit a test score, beginning this fall. Soon after, the University of Tennessee system announced a similar position. Other colleges that continue to be test optional have put an expiration date on the policy, signaling that college officials may not continue the policy indefinitely.
It appears that some test optional policies, like many COVID-related provisions, will return to pre-pandemic norms in the coming months and years.
Colleges and universities favor students who can demonstrate mastery of the knowledge and skills needed for a successful college experience. Improved scores on college-admissions tests such as the ACT and SAT will still be a primary way to demonstrate a solid academic background for the foreseeable future.