Test Prep Blog: Standardized testing is back.
As many have heard, several selective undergraduate universities are bringing back mandatory test scores for Fall' 24-Spring '25 applicants. This month, both Dartmouth and Yale announced they would be discontinuing test-optional admissions and reverting to pre-pandemic test requirements. This is following similar decisions by selective schools like MIT and Georgetown.
It is uncertain if this reversion to mandatory testing will be relatively isolated to specific campuses or if it is indicative of a future trend towards pre-pandemic testing policies across undergrad universities. What is clear is that prospective students will now need to weigh the importance of having test scores available against a narrowing pool of test-optional schools. Knowing roughly where a student stands in their test readiness is a helpful tool in assessing what their best options might be when considering their college list. That is where diagnostic testing comes in.
A diagnostic is designed to get individual feedback on a student's current test readiness, along with suggestions for potential improvement. Think of it as a weather check- establishing a baseline forecast helps with your future travel plans. Some routes might be smoother sailing, while others are going to be a bumpy ride. Certain destinations might be made accessible given the right plan; others might need to be removed from the list realistically. Given the cost and time commitment of both tutoring and college application fees, having a forecast can help decide what is a good investment (without having to find out the hard way already en route).
Our diagnostic testing program aims to provide several tools for your student's personal forecast:
It allows them the experience of sitting through a full-length, timed admissions test (SAT or ACT).
It provides individualized feedback based on the student's performance, identifying the areas where they performed the strongest and where they met the most challenges. This individualized approach allows for a more tailored test prep experience, whether with one of our tutors or studying independently at home.
It gives a prospective student a sense of which schools they should target based on their anticipated future score range, especially in the event those schools abandon test-optional in the near future.
While there are no guarantees in admissions testing, practice testing remains a reliable tool for assessing likely future performance. Given the current uncertainty in the college admissions atmosphere, a diagnostic can offer students a clearer forecast of potential storms ahead and focus their energy on brighter skies.