Test Optional Does Not Mean Test Irrelevant: Why Rules of Thumb Can Lead to Bad Advice
Your student has excellent grades. A rigorous schedule. Strong activities. A 3.9+ GPA. But the SAT or ACT score is
Your student has excellent grades. A rigorous schedule. Strong activities. A 3.9+ GPA. But the SAT or ACT score is
Every spring, the same thing happens. A strong student looks at the calendar and suddenly realizes: Then the family decides:
For a lot of high school juniors, the PSAT feels like a practice test. No college application asks for the
For families who have been tracking National Merit for the past few years, this year’s results probably caused some whiplash.
AI can explain a math problem in seconds. It can generate practice questions. It can walk through an equation. It
For years, Georgetown had one of the most unusual standardized-testing policies among highly selective colleges. Take the SAT three times?
Your student has a 4.0. Maybe even higher. They are taking honors or AP classes. Their report card looks impressive.
The Common Application opened August 1, 2026. That means thousands of rising seniors are creating accounts, adding colleges, and telling
A student watches the lesson. The instructor explains the problem. The correct answer appears. Everything makes sense. And the student
AP scores are out. And now a lot of families are staring at a screen asking some version of the