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.

College placement test organizers, College Board and ACT.org just announced that all SAT and ACT tests are cancelled due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), till mid June.

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

   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.