SAT and ACT Requirements: Test-Optional, Test-Free or Required

For two decades the SAT and ACT were the fixed point of U.S. admissions. That ended in 2020, and what replaced it is not a single policy but a patchwork. Before you spend a year preparing, find out which of the three regimes each university on your list actually uses.

The three policies

Test-required. Scores are mandatory and an application without them will not be reviewed. A number of highly selective universities have returned to this position, arguing that scores help them identify prepared students from under-resourced schools.

Test-optional. You decide. The rest of your file is read normally if you do not submit. This is the most common policy in the United States today.

Test-free (test-blind). Scores are not considered at all. The University of California system is the largest example.

A fourth variant, test-flexible, accepts alternatives such as AP or IB examination results in place of the SAT or ACT.

SAT and ACT compared

Neither test is preferred by universities; every campus that accepts one accepts the other. Choose based on a timed practice test of each. Students who read quickly and dislike deep math questions often score relatively better on the ACT; students who prefer fewer, harder questions usually prefer the SAT.

Rough concordance

What score you need

Universities publish the middle 50% range of enrolled students, which means one quarter of admitted students scored below the lower number. As a working guide:

• Open-access and regional public universities — scores often not required; 1000-1150 typical where submitted
• Competitive state flagships — 1250-1450
• Selective private universities — 1400-1520
• The most selective campuses — 1500-1580

These ranges describe enrolled students, not admission thresholds. A score inside the range does not guarantee admission and a score below it does not disqualify an applicant whose file is strong elsewhere.

Deciding whether to submit

Compare your score against the published 25th percentile for each university:

• Above the median — submit. It strengthens the file.
• Between the 25th percentile and the median — usually submit, especially at large public universities where numbers drive early screening.
• Below the 25th percentile — do not submit to test-optional campuses. Withhold it and invest the time in essays.

Two exceptions push toward submitting anyway. Merit scholarship formulas at many public universities are built on GPA and test score tables, and honours colleges frequently keep a score requirement after the university drops it. Read the scholarship page, not only the admission page.

Planning the testing calendar

A workable sequence for a student in a four-year U.S. high school:

1. Autumn of junior year — take the PSAT or a diagnostic practice test
2. Winter of junior year — eight to twelve weeks of structured preparation
3. Spring of junior year — first official attempt
4. Summer — targeted work on the weaker section
5. Autumn of senior year — second attempt, finished before Early Action deadlines in late October

Leave a buffer. Scores take roughly two weeks to arrive and universities need them before the deadline, not on it.

Superscoring and score choice

Most universities superscore, taking your highest Reading and Writing result and your highest Math result across all sittings. Some require every score you have ever earned; most allow score choice, sending only the dates you select. Check each policy, because a university that requires all scores changes the calculus of taking the test repeatedly.

Preparation that works

Official practice material from the test makers is free and mirrors the real exam more closely than any commercial imitation. Full-length timed sections matter more than untimed drilling, because both exams test pacing as much as content. Review every wrong answer until you can explain why the right answer is right, and track errors by category rather than by count.

Accommodations for documented disabilities, including extended time and a separate testing room, must be requested well in advance through the testing organisation. Start that process at least two months before the test date you want.