Question Mark on College

Dear Mark,

I feel like the ground shifted under us and nobody told us. Our son is a junior, and back in his freshman year, his counselor told us not to stress about the SAT — “most schools are test-optional now, focus on grades and activities.” So that’s exactly what we did. He’s got a 3.6, he plays lacrosse, he volunteers at our church. We checked the boxes we were told to check.

Then last week at the pool, during that last bit of summer sun before school started back, another mom mentioned that Georgia State and Kennesaw now require test scores. I laughed it off, then I went home and spent an hour Googling. She’s right — mostly. UGA, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw, Georgia Southern, Georgia State’s main Atlanta campus, every school my son actually talks about. And apparently most of the Ivies too?

Mark, my son has never taken the SAT. Not even a practice test. We crossed test prep off our list two years ago because we were told it didn’t matter. Now I’m reading that if he wants to apply early anywhere, he needs scores by November. That’s three months away.

Is it too late? Did we just wreck his chances at the schools he actually wants, the affordable ones, here in Georgia? I don’t even know which test he should take or when. I’m trying not to panic in front of him, but honestly, I’m panicking.

-Blindsided in Braelinn

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Dear Blindsided,

First, the answer you need before you can hear anything else: No. It is not too late. And no, you did not wreck your son’s chances at the schools he wants, including the affordable ones right here in Georgia.

Second: you did nothing wrong. The guidance your family followed was everywhere; counselors said it, headlines said it, colleges themselves said it. Testing was fading away. For a while, that advice was even reasonable.

Then the road closed. Quietly, and in stages. MIT brought its requirement back as early as 2022. The Ivies followed one by one through 2024 and 2025. And the stage that matters most for your family arrived in May 2024, when Georgia’s Board of Regents brought testing back at the system’s seven most prominent universities. UGA, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, Georgia College, Augusta, Georgia Southern (its Statesboro and Armstrong campuses), and Georgia State (its Atlanta campus) all require test scores for admission. Now, the fine print your pool friend probably didn’t mention: the system’s other 19 institutions remain test-optional, and so does Georgia State’s Perimeter College. Those are real doors, and for some students exactly the right ones. But they aren’t the four-year route your son is aiming at, and for every school he actually talks about, the requirement is real.

You mapped your son’s route when the maps said test-optional, and nobody sent you the detour notice. That’s not a failure of parenting. It’s a change of terrain. And the recalculation starts tonight. Here is your son’s map.

Register him for a fall test date this week — not this month. The dates that matter for his class are these: SAT on August 22, September 12, October 3, November 7, and December 5. ACT on September 19, October 17, and December 12. Now, the wrinkle Georgia families can’t afford to miss: while most Early Action deadlines around the country fall November 1–15, UGA and Georgia Tech close Early Action on October 15. UGA will accept the October 3 SAT for its early round — but not the October ACT — so if your son ends up an ACT kid aiming for UGA’s early round, September 19 is his date. Georgia Tech gives Georgia residents until November 16 to self-report scores, so both October dates still work there. Add it all up, and the conclusion is the same: his first attempt belongs in August or September. And one deadline that can’t wait: regular registration for the August 22 SAT closes August 7, with late registration through August 11. Sit down with him tonight and register.

Have him pick one test and commit. In a normal timeline, I’d have had him take diagnostic tests for both the SAT and ACT during sophomore year and choose the better fit. That window has passed, and that’s okay. Have him take one free, full-length, timed practice test of each this month. I’ve made both available at no cost at prep.capstoneeducationalconsultants.com — then pick the one that feels stronger and pour everything into it. The SAT is fully digital and more reading-heavy; the ACT was redesigned in 2025, shorter than it used to be. Most students land comparably on both after prep. Choosing beats agonizing.

Prep with a plan, not a panic purchase. You do not need a $3,000 crash course with a waitlist. What your son needs is 8 to 12 weeks of consistent, focused work. Khan Academy’s official SAT prep is free and genuinely good, but it’s self-guided. Three to four sessions a week, 45 minutes each, targeting his weakest areas, that’s the recipe. College Board’s own research has tied roughly 20 hours of focused, official practice to average SAT gains north of 100 points. Consistency beats intensity every single time. One-on-one, in person prep is available at Capstone.

Build in a retake because the first test is reconnaissance. Most students improve on their second attempt once they’ve felt the real testing environment: the pacing, the stamina, the nerves. Plan for two attempts, August and October, or September and November. And here’s the encouraging part: many schools, including UGA and Georgia Tech, superscore. They’ll take his highest section scores across multiple test dates. The system is built to reward the retake.

Know his numbers. You mentioned his 3.6; that already clears the HOPE Scholarship’s 3.0 GPA bar with room to spare, so his grades have him squarely in Georgia’s merit lane. The Zell Miller tier (full tuition) asks for a 3.7 GPA plus a 1200 SAT in a single sitting or, for today’s graduates, a 25 ACT which is worth keeping in view if his GPA climbs this year. For admission targets: UGA’s middle 50% runs roughly 1270–1450 on the SAT; Georgia Tech’s runs 1370–1530. Those aren’t cutoffs, but they’re honest targets. Write his number on the refrigerator. And here’s the good news almost nobody tells families: the merit clock runs longer than the admissions clock. Within Georgia’s HOPE program, the Zell Miller qualifying score can be earned on any test date before high school graduation, so even a senior admitted in December can still test in March, May, or June and lock in scholarship money.

One more thing, parent to parent. You said you’re trying not to panic in front of him; that instinct is exactly right, and here’s why it matters: he will test the way you navigate. If the next four months feel like a five-alarm fire in your house, that’s how he’ll walk into the testing room. Treat this as what it actually is, a rerouted trip with a clear map and plenty of road left and that’s how he’ll drive it.

The rules changed after you made your plans. That was never your fault. But the families who arrive smoothly next spring will be the ones who recalculated this month and as of tonight, that’s you.

You’re not navigating this detour alone, and neither is he. If you want to talk through which test fits your son or where his numbers stand, that’s exactly the conversation I have with families every week.

-Mark

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Mark Cruver is the Founder of Capstone Educational Consultants in Peachtree City, GA. With over 20 years of combined experience in higher education admissions and independent practice, providing individualized college, career, and essay advising, Mark has assisted hundreds of students and families with their college admissions decisions as one of only six Certified Educational Planners in Georgia. Mark’s new book, Before You Tour Another College, is now available.

For more information, email Mark at [email protected]—he will be happy to help!