When “optional” still needs a plan

Originally sent as an AltView newsletter on June 20, 2026.

Columbia has announced that it will require SAT or ACT scores again from the 2027-28 admissions cycle.

For current Class 12 students applying this year, Columbia remains test-optional. So I would not treat this as last-minute news for the current cycle.

But for Class 11 students, and especially for Class 9 and 10 families making longer-term plans, I think it is worth paying attention.

I wrote about the Indian calendar angle here:

Columbia Is Bringing Back the SAT. For Indian Students, Optional Was Never Simple.

I would not read this as a reason for every student to rush into SAT prep immediately.

For international applicants, test-optional rarely makes the score question disappear.

Technically, a test-optional college will read the application without an SAT or ACT score. That part is real.

An admissions officer reading an Indian applicant is often trying to understand a school system, a curriculum, a grading pattern, and the student’s academic context. A strong score can give one more piece of external evidence. It cannot carry the application by itself, but it can reduce ambiguity.

So I would go beyond the question, “Is the SAT required?”

I would also ask whether a score would help the student make a clearer academic case.

If a student leaves testing unresolved until Class 12, it starts competing with everything else: board pressure, school tests, essays, college-list research, teacher recommendations, and sometimes JEE or NEET preparation. The SAT then becomes one more urgent task in a year that is already crowded.

There is also a newer India angle here.

Several Indian private universities now accept SAT scores for admission, scholarships, or both. College Board’s India list includes names such as Ashoka, FLAME, Krea, NMIMS, O.P. Jindal, Plaksha, Shiv Nadar, and others. The details vary by university, program, and applicant category, so this still needs checking carefully.

For some students, the SAT may support both foreign applications and parts of the Indian private-university backup plan. That makes the testing decision part of the larger shortlist conversation.

I see families lose time here.

Some questions I would ask:

• If the student may apply to the US, when will we know whether a score helps or hurts?
• If the student is considering the UK or Europe too, are there course-specific tests to plan for?
• Is there a sensible first testing window before Class 12 becomes heavy?
• If the student skips testing, is that a deliberate decision or just a reaction to last year’s policy?
• Will testing preparation crowd out essays, subject exploration, or school marks?

There is no universal answer.

For one student, the right move may be to take a diagnostic after Class 10 boards and attempt the SAT once before Class 11 settles in.

For another, the right move may be to delay, because the fundamentals are not ready yet.

For a third, the right move may be to skip the SAT and build a college list where that decision does not create unnecessary risk.

The testing decision should sit inside the application plan.

At AltView, this is the kind of planning we spend a lot of time on before the application season becomes too loud. Testing is connected to the shortlist. The shortlist is connected to essays. Essays are connected to the student’s activities and subject direction. And all of this has to sit inside the reality of the Indian school year.

If your child is in Class 11 or 12 and you are still deciding whether to begin structured application work, this is a sensible time to talk.

If your child is in Class 9 or 10, the conversation is different. I would keep it away from premature college lists. The useful work is building enough direction that Class 12 does not arrive as a surprise.

You can read the full note here:

Columbia, testing, and the Indian application calendar

And if you want help thinking through your child’s testing, shortlist, and application timeline, you can book a discovery call with us.

Best,
Apoorv & Sanjeeta
AltView Education

P.S. If this made you think of another parent who is still unsure whether to start now or wait, please feel free to forward it to them.