Tag Archives: Standardized testing

What Do the New UC and CSU Standardized Testing Requirements Mean For You?

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Insights into UC and CSU Standardized Testing Requirements for the 2021-2022 Admissions Season

According to the University of California Application Center, “UC will not consider SAT or ACT test scores when making admissions decisions or awarding scholarships.” In other words, UC is test-blind for the high school class of 2022.

 

Because UC is test-blind, this may mean that other factors such as grades, strength of curriculum, essays, and extracurricular activities might hold even greater weight. So, please consult with your Insight counselor and make sure you are keeping your grades up, taking the strongest curriculum you can handle, writing great application essays, and doing meaningful extracurricular activities.

 

Regarding the California State Universities (CSUs) there is not currently an official stance on standardized testing requirements that applies to the entire CSU system, so please contact each CSU that you are applying to, in order to find out what their standardized testing requirements are. However, I spoke with the admissions office at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, and it is not considering SAT or ACT scores for the high school class of 2022. So, like the UCs, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo is test-blind for the high school class of 2022.

 

The most important factors Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo will be considering for admission include GPA, extracurriculars, work experience, and strength of curriculum (what a student does beyond the minimum course requirements).

 

If you have any questions about the UC and CSU standardized testing requirements for the high school class of 2022 and about how you can make your applications stand out, please contact your Insight counselor.

 

Finally, it’s very important to remember that just because the UC system and many CSUs are test-blind for the high school class of 2022, this doesn’t mean the end of standardized testing. In fact, the data shows that for the high school class of 2021 (when many schools were test-optional) the students that submitted good SAT or ACT scores—especially to elite colleges and universities—were more likely to have gained admission. In other words, it is still important to prepare for and take the SAT or ACT.

Need help preparing for the SAT or the ACT? Check out our ACT Boot Camps or SAT Classes.

Are you worried about the recent cancellations/postponements of the SAT and ACT? 

Are you wondering if any schools have changed their testing requirements and whether you should still take standardized tests?  If so, please read on for important information from Insight counselor Jason.

 

The University of California system has been debating for years about whether to eliminate its SAT/ACT requirement.

 

While standardized testing advocates say the tests predict college readiness and can help identify promising disadvantaged students with lower GPAs, anti-test advocates claim that standardized testing makes admissions less fair since higher test results are correlated with higher family incomes. Earlier this year UC decided to keep the SAT/ACT requirement. 

 

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic and all the uncertainty students now face, both the UC and CSU systems have decided that the SAT/ACT will not be required for students applying for Fall 2021 freshman admission. 

   

 

University of California Testing Policies

According to UC’s April 1, 2020 Counselors and Advisers Bulletin:

 

“UC will suspend the standardized test requirement (SAT and ACT) for students applying for fall 2021 freshman admission. This modification is not intended as an admissions policy shift but is rather a temporary accommodation driven by the current extraordinary circumstances.”

 

Additionally, according to a FAQ posted on the UC admissions website:

 

“Students applying for Fall 2021 are not precluded from taking standardized tests (SAT or ACT) and sending scores if they are able. Doing so can support their statewide UC eligibility, application for certain scholarships, and help them fulfill some University graduation requirements.

 

Campuses will adjust their internal processes accordingly to ensure that no student is harmed in admissions selection should they not submit a test score.”

 

 

 

California State University Testing Policies

Not long after the UC’s announced their policy, the California State University (CSU) schools followed suit.

 

The CSU system announced that they will not use test scores to determine eligibility for the fall 2021 class.

 

According to CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White, “This temporary change will ensure equitable access to the university and should provide some measure of relief to prospective students and their families.”

 

Under the new CSU admissions policy, first-time freshmen for the term of fall 2021 must meet the new requirements to have earned a high school diploma, completed their “A-G” requirements, and have earned a GPA of 2.5 or better. 

 

 

What Does this Mean for Me?

In other words, if you are a student applying for freshman admission to a UC or CSU campus for fall 2021, you do not have to take the SAT or ACT. 

 

However, if you have already taken the SAT or ACT or are able to take the SAT or ACT in the future, submitting your score may have a real positive impact on your application and UC graduation requirements. 

 

As a result, people should not assume that getting into a UC will be significantly easier next year – that would be a mistake.

 

Additionally, as of now, this does not impact the class of 2022 or 2023 – so current sophomores and freshmen should not work under the assumption that testing will not be required for admission to the UCs or CSUs.  

 

What are Other Colleges Doing?

Also, it is important to note that not all colleges have dropped the testing requirement. As a result, students should plan to test if they will be applying to even one college that has not made that announcement.

 

Students applying for very competitive and specialized programs should still be planning to take the appropriate tests.  If you are wondering whether you should be testing, please consult with an Insight counselor.

 

Finally, although this latest news about the UCs/CSUs may be great for current high school juniors that don’t test well and that want to attend a UC or CSU, this is definitely not the time to stop testing. 

 

 

Concluding Thoughts

We want to emphasize that even though the UCs and CSUs have dropped their testing requirement for students applying for fall 2021 freshman admission, as of now this change only affects that group. 

 

Many colleges and specialized programs still require standardized testing (including the UCs—except for fall 2021 freshman admission).

 

During these unprecedented and uncertain times, please remember that Insight counselors are here to discuss your college admissions and testing plans. Overall, this UC and CSU news is good, but should be taken cautiously.  

 

 

Written by Jason Katz

This article was written by Insight Counselor Jason Katz.

Jason has helped hundreds of students gain admission to their best-fit universities. In addition, he wrote more than 170 college admissions/college life columns for the Palo Alto Daily News and the San Jose Mercury News. Read his full bio here.

To Test, Or Not To Test?

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In a land, devastated by famine and drought, shimmering pools of water and images of plenty tempted travelers and visitors. Were these hallucinations? Oh dear reader, these visions are inspired by the financial waves crashing on colleges – I was using a metaphor for the feast and famine landscape higher education institutions are facing thanks to the pandemic. Namely – some schools are financially “feasting” while others are facing enormous revenue shortfalls. Not all colleges and universities are in the same boat!

 

Consider this. The Wall Street Journal recently stated, “Binding early decision applications rose by 22% at Brown University, 23% at the University of Pennsylvania, 29% at Dartmouth College, and 49% at Columbia University. At Yale University and Harvard University, applications under the restrictive early-action option jumped by about 38% and 57%, respectively.”

 

Chart showing increase in number of college applications

 

Outcomes from Early Applications from the Class of 2021

 

The pandemic accelerated the shift in testing policy, leading to drastic changes in the college admissions landscape. In just a few weeks in the spring of 2020, over 95% of selective four-year colleges and universities announced their decisions to be test-optional for 2020-2021. Many seniors did not have an opportunity to take the SAT or ACT in 2020 before their application deadlines. Those who had planned for testing early (such as our Insight students) had the option to choose to submit their scores. With the barrier of testing removed for many students, they suddenly imagined the possibility of an acceptance offer from a school that might have been a dream previously.

 

This year is pivotal as students who are disadvantaged or discouraged by testing will have more possibilities than ever before. In fact, many highly selective schools such as Amherst, Boston College, Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, UPenn, Rice, UVA, and Williams have recently extended their temporary policies to 2021-2022 application cycle; most others are expected to follow suit by spring.

 

A word of caution before you decide that the SAT or ACT will be gone forever – it is important to point out the wording of these testing policy announcements for additional insight into the school’s attitude toward testing. For example, Brown’s announcement started with “the extraordinary circumstances that continue to face students this year.” Stanford’s note in responding to Covid on standardized testing outlined that “if you have already taken the ACT or SAT…, then you are welcome to self-report them.” And Princeton’s statement included its process for determining academic rigor. “When considered in context and in conjunction with other academic factors, testing such as the SAT or the ACT can be very helpful in assessing a student’s preparation for Princeton’s curriculum.”

 

Without the barrier of test scores, many colleges are seeing surges in number of applications this year, as we saw with the Wall Street Journal article. Harvard saw applications rise by 42% overall and the University of California system by 16%. However, admissions offices are also delaying decision releasing date or making more use of wait lists due to the volume of applications. Overall, many top colleges showed a decrease in acceptance in the early admissions stage.

 

Chart showing drop in acceptance rate in popular colleges

 

 

Class of 2022: Keeping Your Options Open in a Competitive Context

There are so many colleges that changed their policies in light of the pandemic – you can read our very comprehensive and helpful list of test-optional schools here – that it becomes difficult to sift through the actual changes specific colleges make, the changes that College Board or ACT make, and the realities that colleges face – to figure out what you yourself want to do!!! Jeff Selingo tweeted about the practical limitations that admissions offices face – they simply cannot “add more days to the reading calendar,” which is why standardized tests are still useful as a “governor on apps.” If you were managing an admissions office, would you use tools that helped you make your work more efficient? Probably.

And something for applicants to consider is the behavior of one’s classmates – do you think others in your graduating class will skip the opportunity to take these tests? All things being equal, students who have scores to report retain a potential advantage over those who don’t. Having the option to send scores—to all colleges, to some colleges, or to no colleges—is a path we can help you plan.

As we continue to carefully monitor trends, we will continue to analyze the data available to us and share our insights on the impact of flexible testing policies. We’ve already seen that a relaxed testing policy does not make a highly selective school less competitive. In reality, it can boost a college’s desirability, continuing to limit the available spots and demand for them. Universities that were already in demand reached record high levels of interest in 2020, especially in their early application rounds, resulting in record low early admit rates.

 

Wish to improve your test scores? Check out Insight’s upcoming SAT / ACT classes here.

 

In the coming years, we will see if applicant and admission profiles at competitive colleges alter and what role testing policies have in that change. Please continue to follow Insight Education through social media as we update you on the latest in college admissions or schedule a 1-hour college planning session with our experienced counselors to personalize your academic and testing strategies. 

 

Read more: Ready, Set, Take the Test!

Written by Meilin Obinata

This article’s main contributor is Insight Senior College Admissions Counselor Meilin Obinata.

Meilin Obinata is a Senior College Counselor who enjoys learning from her students. She believes education is a creative endeavor and creates a space that allows students to explore new ideas. As a Bay Area native who grew up in Santa Cruz, she is familiar with the local schools. Read her full bio here.

College Board is Dropping Subject Tests and the Essay Portion of the SAT: What This Means For You

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Quick Summary: 

  • The College Board said on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, that it will stop administering the SAT Subject Tests. It will also eliminate the optional essay-writing component after June 2021.

  • In their statement, the College Board shared that the pandemic “accelerated a process already underway … to reduce and simplify demands on students.” It also plans to pursue a “more flexible” SAT that could be delivered online.

  • There are other ways for you to demonstrate your writing skills – English classes, AP exams, and college essays.

  • Dropping the SAT subject tests places more emphasis on the AP tests. For those who have their subject test scores, college admissions offices have yet to announce their decision regarding those scores.

 

Insights into the College Board’s Decision 

Today, the College Board made the shocking announcement that it will stop administering the SAT Subject tests effective immediately in the US and effective after the June 2021 administration internationally. The College Board will also be dropping the Essay portion of the SAT after the June 2021 administration of the test. For many students, this changes how they might approach course selection, testing in the near term, and a longer-term strategy intended to show their academic strengths. The ramifications of these changes are not completely obvious yet because how the colleges will interpret these changes in the admissions context remains to be seen. But let’s talk about what this means for you:

 

Let’s start with the easy piece – the SAT Essay. The essay has realized a diminished value over the last few years. While it used to be a required portion of the test and the admissions process, it has increasingly become optional from both the College Board side and the university admissions side. There are so many ways in which students can demonstrate their writing abilities – English grades, AP exams, college essays, or graded writing samples, to name a few, that this change is really of little significance. It will allow students to focus on the multiple-choice sections as well as to reduce the overall length of their exam. So really, this change is important but won’t have a significant impact on Insight students and their planning.

 

Now onto the harder question discussing the impact of dropping the Subject Tests. College Board stated that it was dropping these exams because the Advanced Placement (AP) Exams are becoming more accessible to all students and as a result, students shouldn’t have to take both exams. Now whether or not we philosophically and professionally agree with this statement, we have to make sure that we adapt to this changing environment and provide the very best advice to you.

 

How Will The Universities Responding? What Does This Mean For College Admissions?

Last year, the UCs went test-blind for SAT and ACT as part of the admissions process, but they still allowed students to enter their Subject Test Scores and AP Scores on their UC Applications. Other universities dropped the use of SAT Subject Tests, but they still gave the students the option to submit AP Exam, SAT, or ACT scores. It is very possible that some or many colleges will still welcome students to submit these scores.

 

If you currently have Subject Test scores, we will have to wait to hear from colleges about what they will and will not allow. If you do not have Subject Test scores and were planning to take them this year for the first time, do not worry. Many students are in this same situation and you will NOT be penalized.

 

We are going to keep on top of this major change with colleges and make sure our advice is updated and accurate. If you’d like to meet with a counselor and get help navigating the rapidly shifting college admissions landscape, please do not hesitate to contact us and schedule your 1-hour college planning session, in which our experienced counselor will tailor your college admissions strategy based on academic performance, testing options, extracurricular activities, and more!