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The Short Answer: Yes

In the presence of COVID-19, many highschoolers are beginning to ask the same question: Do college entrance exams like the ACT or SAT still matter to the college admissions process? Select universities around the U.S. have marked scores as an optional addition to your application, but for most of those applications, they instead require AP exam scores or that applicants be in the top 25% of their graduating class.

Not only that, but grade-point averages have also gone up dramatically over the last several years, making it more difficult for universities to decipher which applicants truly stand out above the crowd. You wouldn’t want your application to be put aside just because another comparative applicant does have an ACT or SAT score and you do not. So, the short answer is yes, college admissions exams still carry a lot of weight on your college applications even if it is not a requirement. As they differentiate among applicants, college admissions exam scores give universities another piece of information about who you are as a student. Here are three ways you can effectively prepare for your college admissions exam so you can distinguish yourself from everyone else.

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