Free SAT Bootcamp
- Perfect for students taking the Oct. 4th SAT
- Students can choose between Math or Reading & Writing, or take both
- They’ll meet with a small group of students and a peer tutor twice a week
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Colleges have continued to roll back test-optional policies. We will update this post as more policy changes are made for fall 2026.
Auburn (testing STRONGLY preferred; required with under a certain GPA)
Brown
Cal Tech
Cornell
Dartmouth
Georgetown
Georgia Tech
Harvard
JHU
MIT
Ohio State
Penn
Purdue
Stanford
University of Georgia
University of Florida (state-wide)
University of Miami
UNC Chapel Hill (required with under a certain GPA)
University of Tennessee (state-wide)
UT Austin
Yale
For 2027: Vanderbilt, Wisconsin (Madison) = which means they prefer scores now…
We have also found it beneficial to send high scores to most other test-optional schools in the top tier, especially if you are applying to a selective major (engineering, comp sci, data science, business, hard sciences) or attend a high school where the majority of students test and test well:
Vanderbilt – test preferred
Northwestern – test preferred
Duke
Princeton
Columbia
Rice
WashU
Notre Dame
Carnegie Mellon
Tufts
Emory
USC
Boston College
Boston University (exception: General Studies)
NYU
Clemson
Case Western
Villanova
University of Chicago
University of Michigan – test preferred
University of Wisconsin – test preferred
University of Virginia
University of Illinois
University of Maryland
Reach out to us if you’d like help with your application strategy and deciding if you are a good candidate to apply test-optional.
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In an op-ed published in Inside Higher Ed, David Blobaum, the director of outreach for the National Test Prep Association and the co-founder of tutoring company Summit Prep, argues that it is in college hopefuls’ best interests to submit test scores, even if a school does not require them.
When accepting – or rejecting – applicants, admissions departments cite often-clandestine “institutional priorities” having to do with students’ backgrounds or areas of expertise. According to Mr. Blobaum, however, “Rhetoric and reality often diverge.”
He contends, unequivocally, that “test-optional institutions have a preference for students with high test scores” and that students applying to test-optional colleges and universities are less likely to be admitted if they do not submit test scores. “If a college does not value SAT or ACT scores, then the college would not use those scores.”
Citing data from Dartmouth’s watershed report, which led the institution to return to test-mandatory admissions, Mr. Blobaum argues that traditionally marginalized students have the most to gain from submitting test scores: “a disadvantaged student with an SAT score between 1450 and 1490 is 3.7 times more likely to get admitted if they submit their score than if they withhold it.”
To support his argument, Mr. Blobaum explores a few key examples of elite institutions that recently were or currently are test-optional:
These examples are compelling, and make clear that standardized test scores can certainly act as key differentiators between candidates who are otherwise qualified for limited class seats. These differentiators are particularly important for hyper-selective schools where the ratio between applicants and enrollment offers is especially stark.
Mr. Blobaum approached this topic with an eye toward the most elite institutions; his observations, therefore, despite their potential relevance at Ivy Plus schools, may not capture the admissions landscape at less selective—but still excellent—colleges and universities. Furthermore, Mr. Blobaum’s argument sometimes strays from hard data; he, perhaps controversially, claims that admissions departments “often outright lie” and bases some of his reasoning on the fact that “it is just common sense.”
Source: Denied? That Top College Lied (Inside Higher Ed)
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Colleges have continued to roll back test-optional policies. We will update this post as more policy changes are made.
You’ll need competitive test scores to apply to the following schools:
Auburn (testing STRONGLY preferred; required with under a certain GPA)
Brown
Cal Tech
Cornell (2026 start, require, 2025 recommended for certain colleges)
Dartmouth
Georgetown
Georgia Tech
Harvard
JHU (2026 start)
MIT
Purdue
Stanford
University of Georgia
University of Florida (state-wide)
University of Tennessee (state-wide)
UT Austin
Yale
We have also found it beneficial to send high scores to most other test-optional schools in the top tier, especially if you are applying to a selective major (engineering, comp sci, data science, business, hard sciences) or attend a high school where the majority of students test and test well:
Vanderbilt
Northwestern
Duke
Rice
WashU
Notre Dame
Carnegie Mellon
Tufts
Emory
USC
Boston College
Boston University (exception: General Studies)
NYU
Clemson
Case Western
Villanova
University of Chicago
University of Michigan
University of Wisconsin
University of Virginia
University of North Carolina
University of Illinois
University of Maryland
Reach out to us if you’d like help with your application strategy and deciding if you are a good candidate to apply test-optional.
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Colleges have continued to roll back test-optional policies. We will update this post as more policy changes are made.
You’ll need competitive test scores to apply to the following schools:
Auburn (testing STRONGLY preferred; required with under a certain GPA)
Brown
Cal Tech
Cornell (2026, require, 2025 recommended for certain colleges)
Dartmouth
Georgetown
Georgia Tech
Harvard
MIT
Purdue
Stanford
University of Georgia
University of Florida (state-wide)
University of Tennessee (state-wide)
UT Austin
Yale
We have also found it beneficial to send high scores to most other test-optional schools in the top tier, especially if you are applying to a selective major (engineering, comp sci, data science, business, hard sciences) or attend a high school where the majority of students test and test well:
Vanderbilt
Northwestern
JHU
Duke
Rice
WashU
Notre Dame
Carnegie Mellon
Tufts
Emory
USC
Boston College
Boston University (exception: General Studies)
NYU
Clemson
Case Western
Villanova
University of Chicago
University of Michigan
University of Wisconsin
University of Virginia
University of North Carolina
University of Illinois
University of Maryland
Reach out to us if you’d like help with your application strategy and deciding whether you are a good candidate to apply test-optional or not.
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On Wednesday, Columbia University became the first Ivy League school to declare a full test-optional policy without any time limits. William & Mary, in Virginia, took the same step Thursday after analyzing the results of a three-year trial.
This is very good news for the pool of applicants who benefit from TO policies and for these colleges, who benefit from them the most. Do not be fooled: these changes are not all for or about students.
It will be interesting to see who else follows their lead. Stay tuned!
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You’ll need [competitive] SAT or ACT scores to apply to the following schools:
Georgetown
Georgia Tech
MIT
Purdue
University of Georgia
University of Florida (state-wide)
University of Tennessee (state-wide)
And we have found it highly beneficial to send high scores to most other test-optional schools in the top-top tier, especially if you attend a high school where the majority of students test [and test well]:
The Ivies (but obviosuly not Cornell’s test-blind schools)
Stanford
Vanderbilt
Northwestern
JHU
Duke
Rice
WashU
Notre Dame
Carnegie Mellon
Wake Forest
Tufts
Emory
USC
Boston College
Boston University
Tulane
NYU
Case Western
Villanova
University of Texas, Austin
University of Chicago
University of Michigan
University of Wisconsin
University of Virginia
University of North Carolina
University of Illinois
University of Maryland
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College counseling is not a program that you simply sign up for and “work”—it’s a relationship and a process that takes place over an extended period of time.
The majority of our work with students—which includes academic planning, narrative and extracurricular development (your academic and EC “story” for college), a strategic college list, and completing essays, app data, and an extended resume—starts in 10th or early in 11th grade.
Juniors (and some soph’s) can:
Fill out the contact form to schedule a consult and find out how we can support you in your college planning and application process.
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Purdue just announced they are rolling back their test-optional policy, so we thought it was a good time to post about other schools that have done the same. We will try to keep this page updated as other schools likely re-institute testing requirements.
MIT
Georgetown
*Florida public’s: University of Florida, Florida State, University of Central Florida, New College of Florida, etc.
University of Georgia
Georgia Tech
Purdue
University of Tennessee
The Academies (Naval, West Point, Air Force)
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UGA continued to serve up a competitive EA round, especially for out-of-staters. Look for other public flagships to do the same again this year (we’re looking at you UF, UNC, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and of course the more selective UCs).
The UGA admissions blog is a must-follow, but if you want to make even more sense out of data they shared, head to Edison Prep’s website.
It is crucial for students to maintain excellent grades in rigorous classes, raise their GPA if possible, and consider the impact of test scores; at schools like UGA, and we would argue MANY other schools—even those that are test-optional—they matter.
Academic rigor continues to be far more important than extracurricular activities, with the average EA applicant (not admitted student!) having 9+ AP/IB classes by graduation.
Senior Associate Director of UGA Admissions David Graves posted a quote on the UGA Blog that we still sincerely wish were included at the top of every UGA mailer: “When parents or students say that their schedule is already so busy with other activities that it is tough to handle challenging courses…instead of dropping rigorous courses, maybe an activity could be dropped.” We tell students daily that no one has ever been ever rejected for having too low of a “play practice score,” but millions of applications are rejected each year for low GPA, low rigor, and/or low SAT/ACT scores. Activities matter if and once your core academic metrics are in the right ballpark.
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