Would I love to tell students not to bother with the SAT? You bet. Am I? Not yet.

This March, the California State University system joined the University of California when it officially announced that it will no longer use SAT and ACT scores for admissions. These two systems are not just test optional — students can choose to send scores or not — but test blind — scores will not be considered at all for admissions.

The west coast is leading the charge in making these Covid-era changes permanent. University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and University of Washington have all committed to test optional policies. University of Washington’s policy is especially interesting: submitted scores will be hidden from admissions officers; however, “high test scores (1400 SAT/31 ACT or above) may be considered for a handful of students who may not otherwise be admitted.” (See Fairtest.org for a complete list of colleges with test optional and test blind policies.)

Some California private schools, such as Scripps and Chapman, have committed to test optional policies. Others have done so tentatively, committing only for a few cycles to give themselves room to reassess. University of Southern California and Harvey Mudd for example, will be test optional through 2023; Claremont McKenna and Pomona are test optional through 2024; Pitzer will be test blind for the next 3 years. After these expiration dates, these colleges could choose to return to requiring standardized tests for admission.