Harvard, Yale and Brown Reinstate Test Requiring Policy

Harvard announces that it will require test scores from the applicants of fall 2024 session. Applicants can submit SAT or ACT Scores. If SAT or ACT score is not available, students can submit the Advance Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exam scores. Many universities are revising their test optional policies including Harvard, Yale, Boston etc.…

Test optional policies of the universities and colleges across USA were revised when COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. During this periord, Universities allowed applicants to apply without test scores. Ss the world have returned to the normal, universities are requiring test scores. Test scores offer admission staff a clear understanding of the student’s academic performance and make it possible to select the best candidates from pool of hundreds of thousands of applicants.

The wave of test requiring policies arrived when Dartmouth College reinstituted standardized testing. Dartmouth conducted an internal study which indicated that SAT and ACT scores can help shortlist high-achieving applicants from middle- and low-income backgrounds.

Yale become the second IVY league college to do the same. Yale also stated that test scores actually help in proper selection of the applicants and it also helps in ensuring diversity by enabling underprivileged students to demonstrate their academic potential. Brown has also adopted the same policy.

It is the best time for the students to start preparing well for the test and plan their test dates accordingly. As many IVY League schools are adopting the test-requiring policy, hundreds of other colleges will do the same. Hence, it is expected that by Fall 2025, most of the colleges in the country will be requiring test scores. As the studies have also proved the effectiveness of the test scores, securing