Hampshire College’s announcement that the college would move from a test-optional to a test-blind policy came as surprising news to those in the education world. Or perhaps not so surprising. The small liberal-arts college in Massachusetts is reputed to be one of the first schools in the country to be test-optional ever since it opened in 1970. But what exactly does it mean if a college is test-optional or test-blind?
In 2015, the ACT‘s Writing Test will contain some new improvements. The Washington Post has noted that the ACT’s writing test will still be optional and present only one writing prompt. Although the ACT’s essay is optional, there are colleges that require it from students. The original ACT essay prompt would ask about one single issue and give two different views on that issue; students would have to choose one
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education (“Harvard U. Will Loosen Subject-Test Requirement”), SAT II Subjects will no longer be required for students applying to Harvard’s undergraduate program. Unlike the SAT I, which runs 4 hours long and covers Critical Reading, Math, and Writing, the SAT II Subject test only takes 1 hour and focuses on a single subject area like Biology, French, or U.S. History. Harvard U. and other
the College Board is redesigning the SAT to focus on the few things that evidence show matter most for college and career readiness.The first administration of the redesigned exam will take place in spring 2016. The redesigned exam will: have three sections: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, Math, and the Essay. return to the 1600 scale. The essay will provide a separate score. be approximately three hours in length, with an
