The number of colleges joining the "test optional" list is growing each year. Many argue that SAT and ACT results aren't the best way to evaluate student potential on college campuses and many able students with terrific school records just don't test well in a standardized fashion. Test optional schools do not require any SAT or ACT results for applicants. You should know however, that over 80% of the applicants to those schools are sending in test results. If you don't send in SAT or ACT scores, the admissions committees at those schools will likely look for excellence in other areas of your profile (athletics, leadership, grades, etc.) to divert attention away from your missing scores.

Last updated on July 6, 2009 by John Gray Educational Consulting