When Jill Coughlin of Brookfield, Mass., learned she didn’t have to include her SAT scores in her application to the College of the Holy Cross (holycross.edu) in Worcester, Mass., she was excited.

“I didn’t feel as though my SAT scores were an accurate reflection of my academic achievement in high school. A four-hour test on a Saturday morning isn’t an effective way to measure intellectual commitment and competence,” she says.

Instead of focusing on vigorous test preparation, Coughlin, now a sociology major at Holy Cross, put more effort into her day-to-day performance in the classroom.

Which schools are SAT optional?

Many other students are taking a similar attitude upon learning that SAT scores are no longer a make-or-break factor of admission at many institutions. According to FairTest of Boston, more than 750 colleges and universities have eased up on their requirement for submitting test scores.

Institutions recently moving toward test-optional include Bennington College, Smith College, Wake Forest University and numerous state universities. Others have made their requirements more flexible by allowing each student to choose which test scores to submit, such as Hamilton College, Connecticut College and Middlebury College. For a complete lists of schools that have changed their SAT policies, go to fairest.org/university/optional.

What does it mean for you?

If the college you’re interested in is SAT optional, does that mean you should cancel your test-prep courses? Or should you keep along the same path?

Bowdoin College (bowdoin.edu) in Brunswick, Maine, has been SAT optional since the 1960s.

“It encourages students who may be very talented, but might not have scored well on the tests, to apply,” says Scott Meiklejohn, interim dean of admission. “Testing is just a small part of the application process. Essays, supplemental artwork, recommendations, transcripts—we’ll look at all of it, with or without scores.”

Baldwin-Wallace College (bw.edu) in Ohio is in its first year of allowing optional use of SAT scores, and director of admissions Patricia Rossman Skrha is enthusiastic about the move.

“We typically read a student’s file holistically, focusing more on the individual. If one area of the application didn’t fit with the rest, informally we may not weight it as heavily. Making this move publicly enables us to attract wonderful candidates who may have otherwise not applied,” says Skrha.