Last year, as a junior, I started test preparation for the ACT right as the school year started. I had tutoring for an hour every week and completed hours of homework and practice tests in between sessions in an effort to raise my score. My mom, just like most parents, assumed that starting tutoring earlier would alleviate my severe, gut-wrenching, test anxiety. But it just continued to get worse. Why am I such a bad test taker?

Before my first test in April of 2024, I remember locking myself in my room all day from morning to night cramming for the test – redoing every question that gave me trouble and trying to memorize difficult vocabulary. That night I threw up from nerves before tossing and turning until morning. I walked into the test. There was no timer, and I, of course, forgot a watch. I began to hyperventilate and left nearly twenty math questions blank, then had to guess in the last 50 seconds. As I went on to take the test four more times, my score improved by one or two points each time, but it still was not sufficient for my school list.

As a student at a selective enrollment school with an older sibling who received nearly a perfect score, I was taught that this test holds my future. I remember my sister would constantly repeat, “Lenna, doing good on this test can be the make or break for the admissions team.” I wanted to cry at the thought of that being true. My score was significantly lower than my top schools’ average, and I was painfully aware of the fact that I would soon be in competition with my classmates that are applying to the same schools. This is when I started considering going test-optional. 

The reason so many schools went test-optional initially was due to the pandemic in 2020. Students were considered to be at a disadvantage due to at-home learning, and it proved to have such a toll on students that colleges believed it would be unfair to require a test. Even prestigious institutions, such as Cornell, began to implement test-optional policies following 2020 and immediately noticed a drastic difference in applicants. NBC News reported that Cornell’s applicant pool expanded from 50,000 applicants to 71,000 within one year, meaning the admissions office was forced to put more weight on extracurriculars and essays. The article stated that students who felt historically excluded, not applying simply because of a low test score, were able to apply.

As I crafted my college list, schools like The University of Michigan started a conversation between me and my college counselor. He told me that he wanted me in the high thirties to even be considered a worthy applicant, but after my fifth ACT, I was still nowhere close. I submitted my application to the University of Michigan because I was truly considering it. I wanted to see if I could get in with the hard work I put in all four years of high school, rather than just focusing on one test. I opened my decision letter in my art class on Jan. 24, 2025, to confetti on my screen. I started screaming and tears streamed down my face. How did I just do that? I got in without a test score!

Many elite colleges are going back to test requirements for the Class of 2026. This means students will put pressure on themselves once again to get a high number, and forget the importance of other parts in their application. I think with the test-optional policy, students like me were able to focus on perfecting essays and extracurriculars. I highlighted the parts of my life that made me unique, rather than allowing an admissions officer to define me by a number 1-36. I believe that test scores truly make high school students think of college applications in the wrong light. You need to make yourself seen through activities, classes, and most importantly, essays. I put myself in a horrible mental cycle of not feeling like I am good enough, all for a standardized test. Do what is right for you, whether that is studying hours on end or focusing more on out of school activities, because the number you get is not more important than you. In my opinion, I think remaining test optional would be the best decision for college admissions moving forward.