Some anecdotal evidence of changes in language testing for university admissions.
Twice a year, first year international students (undergraduates) at Columbia University reach out to me for tutoring while they are preparing for Columbia’s placement test (the ALP Essay Test). Basically, students whose first language is English take a test to determine if they’ll have to take language classes in addition to their normal course load. I help them get ready for that test. I’ve worked with about twenty such students since 2022.
Of course, I take the opportunity to quiz them about the test scores they submitted when they applied to Columbia in the first place.
Here’s the thing. All but one of my students submitted Duolingo English Test scores when they applied to Columbia. One student submitted IELTS scores. None submitted TOEFL or PTE-A scores.
Pre-pandemic, I think, most of them would have submitted TOEFL scores. A few would have submitted IELTS scores. Things have changed a lot since then. They may continue to change.
(PS: None of them submitted SAT scores)