The Future of Admissions Tests After COVID-19

By Ellie Jeong

Sunny Hills High School

As the unexpected global pandemic struck the world, it has created countless changes in our society. For rising high school juniors and seniors, their attention is on COVID-19’s effect on college admission systems, specifically the standardized tests like the SAT and ACT. Although most colleges claimed to be “flexible” regarding their requirements on such test scores, heated debates about the future of admission tests continue.

Along with the College Board, the organization that manages the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) and the AP (Advanced Placement) program for high school students with college dreams, postponing the spring SATs, numerous colleges have also dropped the requirement for test scores. This includes the entire University of California system  and half of all Ivy League colleges. College officials including Lee Coffin, the dean of Dartmouth, ensure students that the admission system will be completely fair to those who chose not to include their scores, claiming that “it is not a wink that signals a continued institutional preference for the upcoming admissions cycle.” As colleges prove that it is possible to operate college admissions without standardized tests, some students and parents voice their opinions for the complete elimination of standardized testing score requirements. Daniel Kong, a rising junior at Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, California, questions the validity of the tests, mentioning the fact that “students from higher-income families have proven to perform better than the rest due to preparation.” Erin Choi, another rising junior from Orange Lutheran High School who is passionate about applying to top-tier colleges, also points out flaws in standardized testings and its requirement for college applications should be completely eliminated, “unless standardized tests are edited to be equal.” 

I strongly insist colleges to completely drop admission test score requirements in later years as a continuation of the class of 2021. During this crisis, most colleges have proven to millions of students that they can maintain the admission system without looking at their SAT scores. As countless flaws of standardized tests keep coming up to the surface in addition to the colleges’ decisions to drop requirements, the tests’ reliability and importance in college admissions decrease as a result. Instead of maintaining the outdated system, the colleges should completely eliminate standardized test score requirements and weigh more importance in other factors of college admission such as GPA and extracurriculars, which show the students’ long-term dedication in academics and individual passion. Along with many permanent changes being created due to COVID-19, the colleges should use this unprecedented time as a turning point to their admissions system.