The COVID-19 pandemic altered how high school students receive education, including how students prove college readiness through standardized tests.
The two primary standardized tests used by colleges in the admissions process are the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Testing test, or ACT.
As SAT and ACT tests moved online, several colleges stopped requiring these tests as part of student applications. In the second year of the pandemic, many colleges permanently made the tests optional for admission including the University of Virginia, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Cornell University along with other institutions.
