Testing Info

The most important information to know is that ALL colleges and universities accept either the ACT or SAT. Most colleges no longer require the SAT Subject Tests, but please check with each college to fully understand their policies. Certain majors (such as Engineering and Nursing) may require SAT Subject Tests in math and science.

While many colleges and universities have adopted test-optional or test flexible policies, most still do require reporting of standardized test scores. Having a national standard to measure students by, as one factor in the decision process, is still important in the minds of many admission deans or directors. However, you may access the most recent list of test-optional colleges at www.fairtest.org.

The College Counseling Office has registration deadlines posted for both the SAT and ACT on the bulletin board outside our office. We also publish the test dates and registration dates each month in our College Counseling Crier. 

Bullis automatically registers students for the PSAT, the Pre-ACT, and the AP exams.

Students must register for all other standardized testing. The registration procedure is covered in the College 101 workshops. College Counselors are happy to assist in this process, as well.

Once students begin their individual sessions with their college counselor, they will receive personal advice about which tests to take and the best timing of the exams for their unique situation.

• If a student has received accommodations with the College Board and/or ACT, the registration process must be done in conjunction with the Bullis School Testing Coordinator.
• Students are responsible for sending test scores to the colleges. The College Counseling Office does not list scores on the transcripts and does not report scores. Some colleges are beginning to allow students to self-report scores. Please carefully read the college policy for each college in which you are interested.

If English is not your first language, or you have been educated in an English-only curriculum for fewer than four years, you may want to take an English language test. There are several options but the two most requested exams are the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). You can sign up and pay for these exams online. Testing preparation is available externally if you are interested.

Many colleges and universities are now accepting international student interviews via third party providers (i.e. Initial View, Vericant). These interviews are conversational and meant to demonstrate a student’s ability to communicate in English. You will interview once and can send the recording to as many schools as you like.

We believe the article listed below is a great summary of test policies and definitions.

» Confused by “Score Choice, Superscoring, and Test Flexible”? We Can Explain.