Students may have hoped that standardized testing for college admissions would remain optional. But several highly selective schools have recently reinstated requirements and a comparison of their announcements shows that their reasons are surprisingly similar. Here’s the full text as I published it on Forbes.com, on March 12, 2024. Be sure to check for updates on the website of each college to which you will apply! But the reasons behind the return of the SAT remain much as I analyzed them in this article.

"Ivy Day" is the unofficial name for the day on which the Ivy League colleges announce their admissions decisions, all at once. This year, that will happen on March 30, at 5 pm Eastern Standard Time. What can you do to prepare?