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Yale to Require Standardized Testing Again

Yale to Require Standardized Testing Again

Yale University will require standardized test scores (again) for students applying for the class entering in the fall of 2025. This makes Yale the second Ivy League university to abandon test-optional policies that were widely adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yale officials said in an announcement on Thursday that the shift to test-optional policies might have unwittingly harmed students from lower-income families whose test scores could have helped their chances.

While it will require standardized tests, Yale said its policy would be “test flexible,” permitting students to submit scores from subject-based Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate tests in lieu of SAT or ACT scores.

Yale’s decision follows a similar decision in February from Dartmouth College. Dartmouth said an analysis had found that hundreds of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who had strong scores on the SAT had declined to submit them, fearing that they fell too far below the perfect score.

Other universities, such as Columbia University and Harvard University, are still test-optional. The California university system has enacted a “test-blind” policy, meaning they will not consider test scores even if they are submitted.

The University of Michigan, one of the country’s most selective public universities, recently announced that it was moving to a test-optional policy.

For help preparing for the ACT/SAT, please contact Get Smarter Prep.

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2020 Blog

Closing the Chapter on 2020

As we near the end of 2020 (finally), I’ve been thinking back on what this year has taught me. If not taught me, then reinforced what I already knew, but needed to work on. I’m sure this list will look different for everyone, but if I had to guess, there may be a few items on my list that you would find on yours as well. 2020 was a year of many hardships for the entire world, but I am grateful to look back and reflect on things that mean more to me now than 12 months ago.

  1. Be more patient.
  2. Learn something new.
  3. Revise. Plan. Revise. Plan. Revise.
  4. Be more respectful of others.
  5. Listen.
  6. Educate Yourself.
  7. Find joy in the smallest of things.
  8. It’s okay to take a minute for yourself.
  9. Keep working hard…it will pay off.
  10. Take time away from the news and social media every now and then.

 

What’s your top ten? Does your list look different? Challenge yourself to look back at this year and write down what you’ve learned so you can use what you’ve been taught to move forward. We are excited and hopeful for 2021. We hope you are too! If you’re thinking about taking an ACT in 2021, reach out to us and let us know how we can help you prepare.

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Focus

Focus

This year has been rough for a thousand reasons! Let’s think about last January, which seems like a million years ago at this point. Students went back to school after Winter Break, some were already prepping for the February ACT, other students were active in sports and living their best life.

Fast forward to mid-March when the world paused. In-person school was done for the year, all extra-curriculars were canceled, Continuous Learning started at the end of March, beginning of April, and quarantine began.

Even when school started back up in September, it began three weeks later for most student. Some schools went hybrid, some went virtual, and a few, more rural schools, went in-person. So how can students get ahead and keep track of everything they are supposed to accomplishing this year?

Focus

Focus on the goal. Whether that means getting the ACT score you need for your reach school, excelling in virtual school, or taking the ACT for the first time. Set goals and start slowly moving towards the goals you’ve written down. Goals usually aren’t accomplished overnight. They take time.

If there is one thing we’ve all learned from COVID-19, it’s that we can’t plan more than a month ahead at a time, sometimes not even a week! That doesn’t mean your goals are squashed. There may be obstacles along the way, but if you’re passionate about those goals, they will slowly come into focus. Keep moving forward one step at a time.

We’ve had students who’ve studied for an ACT and the day before the test, their test site cancelled the test due to COVID-19. Those students put in 8-10 weeks of prep to be hugely disappointed hours before their test. However, they kept on going. They kept on preparing, they came into Office Hours, they studied and were diligent about taking the ACT. Every one of those students ended up taking an ACT months after they first started studying, but they did it. Their focus and drive led them to accomplish what they set out to do.

If you need help setting goals or need tangible steps to accomplish those goals, contact us! We are passionate about helping and empowering students achieve their best.

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