Allen Koh is one of the world’s leading authorities on applying to highly selective American universities, graduate schools, and high schools. He is the founder and CEO of Cardinal Education.

When the pandemic threw the world into chaos, universities, much like the rest of the world, accommodated by introducing test-optional policies. Four years on, we see some of these universities, like MIT, Dartmouth, Yale, and most recently, Brown, reinstating standardized tests into their admissions requirements. 

Test scores have always been an important predictor of a student’s success in these competitive colleges and serve as the only universal metric that admissions officers have that is uniform for all students regardless of race or socio-economic background. Crucial data from the hiatus showed that promising underprivileged students who did not submit test scores missed great opportunities because their applications did not provide proof of their academic excellence beyond their grades. 

What many don’t understand is that test-optional does not mean test-blind. Even during the pandemic, most colleges still considered test scores. When admissions officers are faced with two impressive and nearly identical profiles, they’re bound to go for the student who has submitted a test score as it’s a clear indicator of a student’s confidence to perform exceptionally in an advanced academic environment.  

While it’s been insisted upon that test-optional policies reduce discrimination for underrepresented minorities, it’s these same groups who are likely to opt-out, impacting their competitive edge. and costing themselves merit-based scholarships, financial aid packages, and even athletic scholarships as good test scores would have allowed them to qualify for these benefits.       

Critics, on the other hand, are hailing standardized tests as antiquated notions of measuring student intelligence, one that favors the wealthy and promotes inequality in society. They believe that wealthy students have more access to academic support and test prep services, as well as the funds to take these tests repeatedly until they get satisfying results. They advocate for holistic admissions, ones that look into GPA, extracurricular activities, recommendation letters, passion projects, and internship programs as this would, presumably, identify deserving students from less-resourced backgrounds.   

I argue, is the inverse not the same? Don’t the wealthy benefit from not having standardized testing? A holistic evaluation of a student is certainly important but it’s the wealthy students who have access to the elite programs that set them apart from others. These students can spend thousands of dollars or more for special opportunities or even the tens of hundreds of thousands that we charge families to brainstorm and facilitate such opportunities. Low to middle-income students simply cannot compete.  

So for an underprivileged student who doesn’t have the time nor the funds to dedicate to things like a varsity sport or an internship due to financial limitations, standardized test scores could be the only metrics they can have control over and make their application profiles impressive. 

So that begs the question, what can low or middle-income students do to obtain competitive scores?

Excelling in standardized testing relies on skills continuously developed from the earlier stages of a child’s education, not just when the testing date is around the corner. Children in elementary and middle school should reach out to their teachers and ask for recommendations in building their reading, writing, and mathematical skills. Ultimately, test prep remains insignificant if students have not developed the foundational academic work they need to get great scores. 

There are various free online resources available for students that include worksheets, practice tests, problem-solving exercises, reading passages, and writing prompts to work on. Khan Academy has one of, if not the best, SAT prep programs. Due to their partnership with The College Board, I am certain that their courses are better than a majority of the paid programs that exist. By spending at least an hour a day at Khan Academy, students should be able to raise their scores by a considerable amount. Even simply reading all the recommended books on The College Board’s Recommended Reading List would virtually guarantee a student an outstanding reading score on the SAT or ACT.

Additionally, most schools offer free PSAT in 10th or 11th grade which can be taken in mid-October and get the results by late December. This gives enough time to get on track and improve scores before the actual test. 

Students from low-middle-income families can obtain great scores with the right resources and investing time and energy. Test scores are not predetermined and do not favor only those from affluent backgrounds. To obtain an admission decision that is both objective and holistic, test scores will level the playing field across all norms.