@AlmostThere2018 I completely agree with you.
@socaldad2002 your numbers are off. You are assuming that the kids will have the opportunity to take a test. You are basing your assumptions on pre-Covid circumstances. Of course a school would want you to produce a top score and would admit a student with a top score over someone who didn’t produce a score in a test-optional circumstance.
However, with Covid, all of those assumptions are out the window. Schools cannot require students to produce a test when testing is unavailable. My son has been studying for both the SAT and ACT since last Fall. He has not been able to take tests from March through July. In our area, the SAT seats sold out this Fall and there are no more seats available. I spent 6 hours refreshing my browser on 3 different computers trying to sign him up for a test. My last hope is trying to get him an ACT seat in September but that won’t be available until late July. If I can get him a seat, he will resume test prep. That assumes that September will be a go.
It is a supply and demand issue. If he doesn’t have a seat, he can’t be punished for not producing a score.
He is planning to apply ED1 to a school and is not going to delay his application if he can’t produce a score. He will list in the Covid sections all of the dates that were cancelled and the sold out dates.
The reason the schools have gone test optional is to allow kids like my son the opportunity to apply and to not be punished because of lack of testing sites available.
From everything I have read from the elite schools, the kids will receive the same level of consideration whether or not they produce a test score.