Standardized tests like the SAT and ACT are treated as a baseline for any student’s college application process, but due to the restricted learning access presented by COVID-19, many universities have opted to be test-optional for the foreseeable future.
State universities, such as the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech, have extended their test-optional policy up until the fall 2025 admission cycles, while others such as Old Dominion, William and Mary and James Madison either have been or are test-optional indefinitely.
Starting March 2024, the U.S.-issued SAT will be strictly digital, replacing the paper version of the test as well as shortening it by nearly an hour.
“It is important that students take the SAT/ACT in that it allows for a standardized measure of student strengths and readiness for rigorous academic work. If a student performs well on standardized tests, taking the SAT/ACT can only benefit them,” said Brandy Bertucci, a SAT English tutor and Landstown Middle School literacy coach.
