The Difference Between Test-Optional and Test-Blind
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?
For many colleges with a test-optional policy, applicants are not required to submit a SAT or ACT score. However, if an applicant decides to send in their test scores, the admissions office would usually consider it as part of the student’s application.
The test-blind policy which Hampshire College follows means that even if an applicant submits a SAT or ACT score, admissions will not include it in the student’s file.
Hampshire’s Dean of Admissions, Meredith Twombly, stated that outside of the SAT, they would look at applicants for “evidence of academic achievement, engagement, and passion for learning as well as for the habits and behaviors that will lead to success at the College.”
