What does test optional mean, and should you still take the SAT or ACT?

Test optional means the student decides whether to submit scores. Sent scores are counted; unsent applications are reviewed without them. It does not mean testing is irrelevant. A good rule is to compare your student's scores to the middle 50 percent range of enrolled students, found in each school's Common Data Set: submit if at or above that range, and generally leave them off if well below it.

What does test blind mean and which colleges are test blind?

Test blind means a school will not consider scores at all, even if submitted. All University of California campuses are currently test blind, along with a handful of other schools. Students applying only to test-blind schools are better off spending time on essays and their activity list than on retesting.

Test Optional, Test Blind, Test Required: What Families Need to Know

Q: What does test required mean for college admissions?

Test required means an application is not complete without an SAT or ACT score. MIT is the most well-known selective school to reinstate its testing requirement after going test optional during the pandemic, arguing that scores help identify strong students whose preparation is not always clear from the transcript alone.

Q: What is the CLT exam and which colleges accept the Classic Learning Test?

The Classic Learning Test (CLT) is an admissions exam built as an alternative to the SAT and ACT, with content drawn from classical literature and primary source texts. It is accepted by more than 200 colleges, including many Catholic, Christian, and classical liberal arts institutions such as Hillsdale College, Thomas Aquinas College, and Franciscan University of Steubenville. It is administered online with remote proctoring. Students should confirm that schools on their list accept it before preparing.

Q: How do you decide whether to submit SAT or ACT scores to test-optional colleges?

Verify each school's current policy, then use the middle 50 percent range of enrolled students as your benchmark. Submit scores that are competitive for that school and leave off scores that fall below its range. The decision should be made school by school, not as a blanket policy: the same 1380 SAT might be worth sending to one school and not another.

Jul 21

Written By Josh Hudley

If you have spent any time researching college testing policies lately, you have probably noticed that the rules are all over the place. Some schools require scores. Some do not care if you send them. Some will not even look at them. And the policies keep changing.

Here is what each one actually means and how to think about it for your student.

What Does Test Required Mean for College Admissions and Which Schools Require the SAT or ACT?

Simple: no score, no complete application. MIT is the most well-known selective school that brought its testing requirement back after going test optional during the pandemic. Their argument was that scores, combined with everything else in the file, helped them find strong students whose academic preparation did not always show up clearly in their transcript alone.

If a school your student wants to apply to is test required and they have not taken the SAT or ACT yet, that is the first thing to fix.

What Does Test Optional Mean for College Applications and Should You Still Take the SAT or ACT?

It means the student gets to decide whether to send scores. Send them and they count. Do not send them and the application gets reviewed without them. Sounds simple, but this is the policy most families misread.

Test optional does not mean testing does not matter. At plenty of schools, a strong score still helps. The real question is whether your student's scores make their application stronger or just add noise.

Our general rule: look up the middle 50 percent score range for enrolled students at any school your student is seriously considering. That number lives in each school's Common Data Set, which is publicly available. If your student's scores are at or above that range, send them. If they fall well below it, the application usually reads better without them.

What Does Test Blind Mean and Which Colleges Have a Test Blind Admissions Policy?

Test blind means the school will not look at scores no matter what. Submit them anyway and they go unread. All University of California campuses are test blind right now, along with a handful of other schools. If your student is only applying to test blind schools, time spent retesting is time that could go toward essays or the activity list instead.

What Is the CLT Exam and Which Colleges Accept the Classic Learning Test?

The Classic Learning Test, or CLT, is a college admissions exam that has grown steadily in acceptance over the past several years. It was developed as an alternative to the SAT and ACT, with content rooted in classical literature, primary-source texts, and traditional academic disciplines. Students from classical, Christian, or liberal arts educational backgrounds may find that the CLT’s content feels more closely aligned with what they have studied in school.

Since 2023, every public university in Florida has accepted the CLT as a valid alternative to the SAT or ACT. The exam is also accepted by more than 200 colleges and universities nationwide, including many Catholic, Christian, and classical liberal arts institutions. Hillsdale College, Thomas Aquinas College, Franciscan University of Steubenville, and many others accept or even prefer the CLT. That list continues to grow.

The format is different from the SAT and ACT. The CLT includes a Verbal Reasoning section drawn from classic texts, a Grammar and Writing section, and a Quantitative Reasoning section. Students familiar with classical literature and formal logic often find the verbal sections more intuitive than those on the SAT or ACT.

Acceptance varies widely by school. The CLT is not accepted everywhere. Before your student spends time preparing for it, check whether the specific schools on their list actually accept it. For students applying primarily to classical or faith-based institutions, it may be the right primary test. For students with broader lists that include large universities, taking the SAT or ACT as well is usually the safer move.

It can be taken online. Unlike the SAT and ACT, the CLT is administered online and can be taken at home with remote proctoring. That flexibility makes it easier to fit into a busy schedule, though students should confirm testing requirements with individual schools.

Should Students Take the SAT or ACT for Test Optional Colleges?

In most cases, yes. Taking the test at least once gives your student options. A strong score can be submitted to schools where it helps. A score that turns out to be below a school's range just does not get sent. You lose nothing by knowing where your student stands.

What we push back on is spending months obsessing over a score while the rest of the application sits untouched. We have seen that happen. A 60-point improvement on the SAT will rarely change an admissions decision the way a well-written essay or a thoughtful activity list can.

How to Decide Whether to Submit SAT or ACT Scores to Test Optional Colleges

Verify the policy before you assume. Testing policies have changed a lot in recent years and continue to shift. Check directly on each school's admissions page before making any decisions.

Use the middle 50 percent as your benchmark. Scores that are competitive at a given school are worth sending. Scores that are not can stay off the application.

Decide school by school, not all at once. A student with a 1380 SAT might submit at one school and not at another, depending on where that score lands relative to each school's enrolled range. This is a decision that has to be made individually, not as a blanket policy.

The Bottom Line

Testing is one part of an application, not the whole thing. Families who understand the difference between these policies, check the current rules for each school, and make thoughtful decisions tend to feel a lot less anxious about this part of the process. It is more manageable than it looks.

Not sure which testing path makes sense for your student? We work with families at every stage of the college process, including building a smart testing strategy that fits your student's goals and college list. Reach out to schedule a free initial consultation and we will help you figure out exactly where to start!

Josh Hudley