About
TestOrNot answers one simple question: were standardized test scores required for students who entered a particular institution in a particular year?
We provide a straightforward answer and sources that you can (and should!) use for confirmation. TestOrNot is not affiliated with any of the institutions mentioned on the site, the College Board, or the ACT.
Limitations
TestOrNot goes back to the graduating class of 2010. The main purpose of the site is to demystify the complex and inconsistent pathways that many institutions followed during the COVID years. We allow you to enter either a graduation year or a matriculation year; if you enter the former, we explicitly assume that the student entered the institution four years earlier (and applied the year before that).
TestOrNot is being built out slowly and carefully. Every school's policy history is reviewed multiple times by a human being, which means that at launch we include only a few dozen colleges and universities. We are working to add to this list and intend to eventually include 150-200 schools.
Policy categories
Required
Applicants were generally required to submit SAT or ACT scores in order for their application to be considered. In some cases, schools offered exceptions to students based on personal hardship, but the exceptions were not so widespread as to render the policy optional.
Test optional
Applicants could apply without SAT or ACT scores and still receive full admissions consideration. If a school encouraged applicants to submit scores, that does not disqualify the policy from being categorized as optional.
Test blind
The institution did not consider SAT or ACT scores, even if applicants submitted them.
Special testing policy
None of the above categories accurately describes the policy or policies in place. For example, some institutions had different policies for different sub-schools or had unique rules that cannot be categorized using the above labels.
Policy unclear
We were unable to clearly determine the policy from available evidence. This is rare.
Future and open-ended policies
If a college has announced a policy for a future entering class, that announcement is treated as real data and labeled as announced/future when appropriate.
Sources
Each policy is documented with readable sources, preferring contemporaneous official university announcements, archived official pages, durable official explanations, reputable student newspapers, and strong contemporaneous press. Archived links are marked when they come from the Wayback Machine or similar archives.
Accuracy and corrections
Every policy used on this site has been checked by a human. People still make mistakes, and admissions policies can become outdated. You should always check the linked sources for confirmation.
If you find an error or have a better source, use Report an error.
Disclaimer
TestOrNot is meant to be a centralized collection of useful information regarding institutional testing policies. While we strive to ensure that our data is accurate, you should always check the linked sources to ensure that we have not made a mistake, and that you are not misunderstanding what our policy categories mean, how the graduation/matriculation/application years are calculated, etc.
If you have any suggestions for how we can make TestOrNot better, please use this feedback form.