That dreadful Saturday morning. The morning to determine your future, your career, your college: the day of the SAT. This 3-hour test used to push students to the brink of panic, all for a single test score. But now, maybe one score won’t have to determine your entire life.
A recent trend has emerged as the majority of schools begin to transition to not requiring the submitting of SAT or ACT in the college application process. This transition has largely occurred due to COVID-19 and a growing conversation around the most accurate way to determine a student’s ability and knowledge. With this transition, many students are left with a new question; should I even bother taking the SAT or ACT?
Colleges have seen a somewhat sudden shift in test policy over the past 20 years. In 2005, only 28 U.S. institutions had test-optional policies; but by 2020, the number surpassed 1,000 as more colleges recognized the limitations of standardized testing in predicting student success, according to HAIanalytics. Now, more than 80% of U.S institutions will not require SAT and ACT scores for college admissions.
This decline in mandatory testing has occurred largely due to the argument that SAT and ACT is not the best indicator of a student’s knowledge and should no longer be accepted as a determinant for college admission. Researchers from the University of Chicago found that high school GPA is a much better indicator of college success, stating “students with the same high school GPA or the same ACT score graduate at very different rates based on which high school they attended; yet, the relationship of high school GPAs with college graduation is strong.” Ultimately, many argue that there are a multitude of factors that affect a student’s success that should be taken into account, not only the score of one test.
Research shows that standardized testing tends to favor students from wealthier backgrounds who can afford test prep courses and specialized tutors, giving an unfair advantage to those that can afford those resources. By focusing less on the score of a single standardized test score, schools can focus more on the bigger picture of a student.
According to Sesameed, “The holistic review process considers the full breadth of a student’s profile, including extracurricular involvement, personal essays, recommendation letters, and life experiences.” This shift in college admissions away from only academic achievement to a student’s character and uniqueness allows a more diverse range of applicants from different backgrounds to apply and be admitted into college.
When speaking to Mr. Caro, a psychology teacher on campus, he shared, “I think labeling someone’s intellectual potential on a single score is lazy.”
I think I can speak for most seniors when I say that this new test-optional feature of college admissions has unlocked another confusing and stressful aspect to the already stressful college application process. During the college season, I went back and forth between taking the SAT or not, often canceling my test because I was so conflicted.
If I can offer any advice for incoming seniors who are beginning the application process, I would say to prioritize your strong suits. If you do well on standardized testing, you should absolutely take the SAT or ACT to improve your application. Similarly, if you don’t feel confident in your test taking skills (like me), you should focus on your overall GPA, your extracurriculars, and your essays.
Overall, I think the shift to test-optionality will give students the opportunity to prioritize their strengths and build the best college application that showcases their unique personality, skills, and interests. With college application season coming to an end, it will be interesting to see how colleges will be affected by the change to test optionality including acceptance rate and increase or decrease in number of applicants.
