Based on the recent data from Common App, till Feb. 2021, among all the applicants applying via Common App, only 44% submitted SAT or ACT scores, which represents a huge decrease from last year, 77% in 2020. 
It's not that surprising since more and more universities have opt-in flexible application requirements on tests, plus the test cancellation due to the pandemic. 
Does this mean that when applying to those more selective schools, we'd really go for "test optional"? We are not so sure to jump to conclusions.  
Let's take a look of the numbers. For those applicants to more selective universities, the dropping rates of submitting ACT or SAT are actually lower than that of the less selective ones.

As students and colleges adapt to new realities and changes to the college admissions process, College Board is making sure our programs adapt with them. We’re making some changes to reduce demands on students.
We are no longer offering SAT Subject Tests™ in the U.S. Because SAT Subject Tests are used internationally for a wider variety of purposes, we’ll provide two more administrations, in May and June of 2021, for international students.  

• Students currently registered for an upcoming Subject Test in the U.S. will automatically have their registration canceled and fees refunded.
• Students who are currently registered for, or plan to register for, an upcoming Subject Test outside the U.S. can still test through the June 2021 administration. Students who no longer want to take Subject Tests can contact Customer Service to cancel and receive a refund.

We’ve reached out to our member colleges and they’ll decide whether and how to consider students’ Subject Test scores. Students should check colleges’ websites for the most up-to-date information on their application policies.
We will also discontinue the optional SAT Essay after the June 2021 administration.

• Students who are currently registered, or plan to register, for an upcoming SAT with Essay will still be able to test through the June 2021 administration. Students who prefer to cancel the optional Essay portion of their SAT can do so in their online account, with no change fees, until the registration deadline.
• After June 2021, the Essay will only be available in states where it’s required as part of SAT School Day administrations. Students scheduled to take the SAT on a school day should check with their school about whether the Essay will be included.

Writing remains essential to college readiness and the SAT will continue to measure writing and editing skills, but there are other ways for students to demonstrate their mastery of essay writing, and the SAT will continue to measure writing throughout the test. The tasks on the SAT Reading and Writing and Language sections are among the most effective and predictive parts of the SAT.
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If you need more information, feel free to contact us via online form,  email (info@trinityscholar.com), call: 886-2-2771-6002, or Line: @mqz4477g
To get the latest news, join our Line Official Account (@mqz4477g) or subscribe to our newsletter to get the first hand news. ​

According to ETS, to meet the needs of students who are unable to take the TOEFL iBT® test at a test center due to public health concerns, the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition test is now temporarily offered. The test is identical in content, format and on-screen experience to the TOEFL iBT test taken at a test center. It is taken on your own computer at home and is monitored by a human proctor online through ProctorU®.

Who's eligible for TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition test

• The test is offered in your country or location.
  • As of April 2, 2020, the test is available everywhere that TOEFL iBT testing is normally available, with the exception of Mainland China and Iran.
• Your computer must meet the equipment requirements for the test, including the installation of the ETS Test Browser and the ProctorU Systems Check.
• You must have a room that provides an acceptable environment for the test.
• In Taiwan, both on-site test and a at-home test are available and it's up to your choice . For now, it's still not sure if the test sites will be cancelled in the future.

More information could be found on the website or should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at any time.  
We will continue to monitor the changes closely and share the updates. Join our Line Official Account (@mqz4477g) or subscribe to our newsletter to get the first hand news. 

SAT

• Spring SAT Advanced/Strategy: 2/29~4/25 (Saturdays)
• Spring SAT Dash Prep: 2/8~3/7 | 3/28~4/25 (Saturdays)
• Spring break SAT dash prep: 3/23 ~ 3/27 | 4/6 ~ 4/10 
• Summer SAT Advanced/Strategy 6/8~6/24 | 7/1~7/16 | 7/20~8/6 | 8/10~8/27 (Mon.~Fri.)

ACT

• Spring ACT Advanced/Strategy: 2/8~3/28 | 4/18~6/6 (每周六 Saturdays)
• Spring ACT dash prep: 2/29~3/28 | 5/9~6/6 (每周六 Saturdays)
• Spring break ACT dash prep: 3/23 ~ 3/27 | 4/6 ~ 4/10
• Summer ACT Advanced/Strategy 6/8~6/24 | 7/1~7/16 | 7/20~8/6 | 8/10~8/27 (周一到週五 Mon.~Fri.)

L3 Reading & Writing

• Spring Junior: 2/2~6/6  (Saturdays)
• Spring Core/Honors: 2/1 ~ 6/7 (Sundays)
• Summer Junior/Core/Honors : 6/8~6/24 | 7/1~7/16 | 7/20~8/6 | 8/10~8/27 (Mon.~Fri.)

Pre-college writing: 2/22~6/6, 2020 (Saturdays)

More Class Schedules

From 4 January 2020, some small changes of IELTS format are being introduced to the instructions and layout of the paper-based Listening test:

1. The word ‘Sections’ will be changed to ‘Parts’ – The paper-based test will now be divided into Part 1, 2, 3, 4.
2. The Part 1 example will be removed.
3. The page number references will be removed. Eg.  ”look at questions 1-4 on page 3” will be shorten as ”look at questions 1-4”.

More information: https://www.ielts.org/about-the-test/test-format

There are some changes to the SAT, starting 2020-2021, announced by CollegeBoard

1. The test dates will be in the following months: August, October, December, March, May, and June. College Board moved the test in November to August.
2. No SAT II (SAT Subject tests) in March, and no SAT I in June
3. The language with listening test will be moved to May; however there's no Chinese test in May 2020 published on CollegeBoard's website yet.

So, the SAT I test will be available in August, October, December, March and May, while the SAT II Subject Test will be available in August, October, December, May, and June. 
 
This will impact current 10th graders who plan to take the Chinese test but haven't done so, especially. If you need help with the arrangement of test taking schedule or other information, feel free to contact TrinityScholar by Live Chat, leaving us a message, Line, Email, or call 886-2-27716002 

   Starting next September, high schooler could retake ACT individual sections, instead of the entire exam.
Officials at ACT said on Oct. 8 that starting next September, students who want to improve their scores would be able to retake single sections of the five-part test, including reading, math, science, English and optional writing, which lasts about three hours, instead of sitting for all of them again. The change would allow students to avoid getting worse marks on sections they had taken earlier and students will get a new “superscore” that combines their highest scores on the subsections from each time they took the test.
There’s already discussion about whether this change eases students’ anxiety or further disadvantages students without access to extra test-prep resource/ coaching.
However, one thing is for sure—College Board, owner of SAT, the other dominant of this game, would have to come up with some similar changes in reaction to this new policy of ACT.
​Read the full news here.

(Updates on Nov. 27)
Starting from the test at September 2020, students who take the ACT at US test centers will be able to:

• Retake just one (or two or three) section(s) at a time after completing one full ACT.
• Directly submit their ACT superscore by choice to colleges and universities if they have taken the full ACT more than once or participated in section retests.
• Choose between online testing and traditional paper testing. If students choose online testing, they will get scores back in as soon as two days.
• Registration for ACT Section Retesting and online testing will be open approximately 1week after the July 2020 test date.

However, for students outside the US,

• Only superscores will be available to them, beginning in Sept. 2020.
• Section retesting will NOT be offered at international test centers in 2020 but ACT is evaluating the availability in the future.

For higher education institutions who determine and maintain their own admissions score policies, ACT will provide test results from an entire ACT test, along with the best scores. More info

​How's summer so far?  At TrinityScholar, we assist you to reach your dreams in higher heights; cramming for a test is never our mission. However, it happens that students get everything prepared but need the last kick of a better score. With our unique and customized teaching methods, our students not only improve, but could improve efficiently and effectively.
The numbers speak for themselves. Let's see the amazing improvements of TrinityScholar's students in different tests.