HayU Blog

With the vast majority of colleges test-optional or test-blind since the disruptions of the pandemic, families are continuing to confront the question of whether or not to pursue the ACT or SAT for college admissions.

The good news: we have more data every year on admissions in the test-optional era, and students have more choices than ever. 

The big caveat: what that admissions data means isn’t as clear cut as it seems, and with the SAT going digital and conflicting advice from experts in the field, navigating the choices available is getting more confusing for families, not less.

A few weeks ago Dr. Karen Wilson of Child Nexus invited me onto her podcast to talk about the changing landscape of college admissions and standardized testing. Listen to hear our conversation about test optional versus test blind admissions, conflicting advice coming from different corners of the education consulting field, and how to weigh the pros and cons for neurodiverse students in particular!

At Hayutin, our advice continues to be to trust that test-optional truly means optional. We’re here to support all test takers, from the natural high scorers to students who need more time and coaching to build up their scores to reflect their true academic capability. We partner with families and their college counselors to weigh the pros and cons of testing for each individual student. For students who ultimately choose to test or have to test (because of homeschooling, athletic recruitment, or international admissions), we build custom test prep plans to help students of all learning profiles maximize their scores.  

By Annika Guy

Director of Independent Study