From NACAC - More Students Take Optional SAT, ACT

The Wall Street Journal (7/1, Sarraf, Subscription Publication) reported that an increasing number of high school students are opting to take college-entrance exams amid surging competition for admission, despite most colleges are not requiring applicants to take them. About 1.7 million students in the high school class of 2022 took the SAT at least once, an increase by 200,000 from the previous class.

Although most colleges are test-optional again for the fall 2022 application cycle, and some colleges are test-blind for the foreseeable future (University of California and the California State University systems), we at My Best College Plan Counseling advise students to consider taking a standardized test if they are applying to highly selective colleges where a score may help their candidacy.  Once students have a  score, we then evaluate whether it’s more strategic to report the score or apply test-optional.