Although fall seems like the most relaxing season, the stress levels of seniors are always exceedingly high, especially now. During autumn, many high school seniors begin their application for colleges, and for many years, colleges have required the test scores from the SAT and/or ACT from their applicants; in order to determine if they would be a good fit for their school; however, not all students were able to take these standardized tests. Due to COVID-19, many seniors, including myself, have been unable to take these tests due to cancellations or lack of testing centers. Even though colleges have stated that those who submit their scores will not have an advantage over those who did not submit a score, there is still stress that looms over these students. There is also a fear that those who have taken the test and chosen to submit their above average scores will have a leg up on those who did not have scores to submit. This causes many competitive students to feel pressured to take these exams in order to seem like the perfect candidate for their school.  Another reason that the optional SAT/ACT is a stressor, is the fact that many scholarships still require a student’s score to make sure that they should receive their scholarship. Despite the stress for competitive students, the optional SAT/ACT is beneficial to those applying to colleges because it takes off the stress of those who still are unable to take these tests; making the college application process a little less stressful.