Testing For College: Choosing Not to Test

Hello Students!

This is the last installment of our 3-Blog span covering which test is the right option for you guys to take when it comes to College acceptance tests.

This blog will cover the unknown option, choosing not to take the SAT or ACT.  Well this does not seem like a likely option, or on that is too good to be true, it is an option students have!  And students like optionHowever, this is not the right option for most students, I will discuss which students this would benefit the most.
How is it possible to not take the tests?

Again, trust me, this is NOT too good to be true.  It is entirely possible to be admitted to school and not have to take either the SAT or ACT.

There are colleges in California and the United States who admit students purely based on their Grade Point Average and/or their class rank.  If you are a strong student GPA wise you have a good shot of getting into these schools without testing.

It is important to note though, that if your grades are not as strong, then some schools will ask of students to take the SAT or ACT on top of the application for placement reasons.

Applicants will not know this until they apply, so it is worth it to apply and see what happens!

Are the schools who do not require testing trade schools?

Well yes, some trade schools do not require testing, but there are also a variety of four-year universities that also accept students without testing as well!  You have options!

The most useful tool I have found is fairtest.org.  This website lists all of the Colleges in the United States who accept students without test scores.  They also categorize the schools geographically as well, which helps you students who want to stay close to home (or get as far away as possible)!

This is the direct link to the page with the results:  http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional

Again, although these schools do not require the ACT and/or SAT for admittence, they do like to see the scores for placement purposes, students' GPA and/or class rank is relatively low, or if students are applying from out-of-state.

In conclusion, I would strongly recommend students to take the SAT or ACT.  Though not taking the tests seems like the easy way out, you may have to take the SAT  or ACT for placement.  Be advised though, to take the one that speaks to your strengths:

Critical thinking, or Content knowledge.

What do you think, students?