Scott, E. (2021). Test-Optional Admission: Why and How Throughout my time as an admission counselor, I have come to the conclusion that there are many students who are not served by including a standardized test as a part of their admission application This has lead to the research question addressed in this project Why might test-optional admission be beneficial and what does that mean for a student’s application? Among colleges and universities, there has been a growing trend of adopting test-optional admission policies. Schools have made this decision in large part due to the dubious history of standardized testing (Lemann, 2000), the disparate modern testing outcomes (Bowen et. al, 2009; Mattern et al, 2011; Sanchez & Mattern, 2018), and as a way to live up to their ideals and support their mission (Shanley, 2007). In an already complicated college admission landscape, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many schools to adopt test-optional policies very quickly and with little standardization, creating confusion for applicants (Stegmeir, 2020) that I see every day in my work as an admission counselor. This device-neutral resource guide project aims to fill the current knowledge gap by providing students with the information and resources they need like explanations of test-optional policies, how applying test-optional may impact their application, and questions to ask of admission professionals. Understanding this information allows students to be more active participants in the college application and decision process and better understand the nuances of test-optional admission
