"The SAT and ACT have long been a dreaded staple of the college admissions process. But as of this fall, more than 1,000 schools nationwide – including Bennington College in Vermont, Ohio Wesleyan University, Pitzer College in California, James Madison University in Virginia and the University of Denver – have gone test-optional.
To earn admission, prospective students have the opportunity to skip submitting standardized test scores altogether or to share alternate credentials such as Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate scores, extra essays or creative portfolios in their place.
The majority of applicants still take the SAT, ACT or both, but for many, the rise in flexible testing policies offers a welcome option. Students who struggle with tests can now skip them and highlight instead other academic and extracurricular achievements, says Andre Green, executive director of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, which advocates in favor of test-optional policies." …