Is this Goodbye to the SAT?
You may be one of the thousands of students that will be taking the SAT exam on March 13. Or, you may be taking the exam in a few weeks on a different Saturday or during your high school’s SAT School Day (which is typically held in March and April). Congratulations on making it this far! It has been a bumpy road to the testing room with months of COVID-era test delays, location changes, and interrupted study plans. After all of this uncertainty, some students may feel worried that they won’t show their best ability on test day. Some might wonder if the SAT is even necessary given that so many colleges went “test-optional” for applications. We’ve theorized that it will be easier to get into a great 4 year-college during the 2020-2021 application season but high school sophomores and juniors might be curious if the SAT changes will affect their future college chances. This blog post will bring you up to speed on the latest SAT news and hopefully reduce your stress levels.
Will the SAT still be part of college admissions?
Test-Optional or Test-Blind Colleges
Since going to college is the surest way to become rich and successful, we want to know how, if, and when SAT scores will matter for college admission. This year, the SAT might not matter very much.
The National Center for Fair and Open Testing (FairTest) counted over 1,350 colleges and universities across the United States that have gone test-optional for Fall 2021 and Fall 2022 admissions. In other words, more than half of ALL four-year schools have dropped standardized tests as a requirement for admissions. You can check to see which schools have supported test-optional applications for 2022 through the FairTest database. But what exactly does “test-optional” or even “test-blind” mean?
Test-Optional
A “test-optional” college lets you decide whether or not you want to include your SAT scores with your application. If you choose not to include your scores, the school will consider your application based on the rest of your materials. However, you can still choose to send your SAT test scores for consideration. In that situation, the SAT score will be part of the review process. There has been some debate and confusion if test-optional campuses still prefer to see your exam scores. These schools went test-optional to be as fair as possible and will not penalize students for their choice to include (or not include) their scores.
Test-Blind
“Test-blind” is different from test-optional. If test-blind, the school will not consider standardized testing scores at all for admission. Even your perfect 1600 score will be ignored when a test-blind committee decides whether or not to admit you. Test-blind admissions are not a new concept; most community colleges do not require SAT or ACT scores already. What is new, though, is how many 4-year colleges have shifted to test-blind admissions since the COVID-19 pandemic began. According to FairTest as of February 2021, 69 campuses will go test-blind, including the prestigious and enormous University of California (nine campuses) and California State University systems (23 campuses).
As a result of test-optional and test-blind changes to admissions, the number of students submitting SAT scores for college applications has plummeted. As of February 2021, only 44% of college applicants using the Common Application submitted their SAT (or ACT) scores. Prior to coronavirus though, about 77% of applicants using the Common Application submitted them.
What will colleges and universities look at in place of SAT scores?
What will colleges look at?
Schools typically use a “holistic” approach to your application. This means, they look at the “whole” picture of your college readiness and there is no single factor that can make or break your acceptance. The SAT (and other standardized tests like the ACT) are just one piece of your application that shows reviewers that you are ready for college-level work.
Schools that have dropped standardized tests may shift their focus to other criteria such as your grades, the types of classes you took, AP tests, and so on. This will differ at each college. The California State University (CSU) system, for example, does not consider your extracurricular activities, personal essays, or other awards to begin with. So in light of the SAT changes, Cal State Fullerton’s Office of Admissions said they are making grade-point averages a higher priority. For 2021-2022 incoming freshman, the admissions cut off rose from a 2.0 average GPA to a 2.5 GPA. If you need to raise your GPA to reach new college requirements, make sure to sign up for a free online tutor through UPchieve.
Since the College Board has also removed the SAT essay portion, college admissions teams have already started changing how they assess your college-readiness for writing. This means they might place higher priority on your application essay or grades in classes that require evidence-based essay writing (such as Social Studies, History, English Literature). Here are our tips on writing your personal statement for the Common Application.
College admissions committees may look more heavily at your grades instead.
Will the SAT matter in the future?
The short answer: yes
High schoolers should still do their best on their SAT exam. Some states make the SAT or ACT exam a requirement for high school graduation.
Some universities are still looking at SAT results to make general cut-offs. SAT scores may be used to help make waiting list decisions (such as the University of Washington in Seattle), out-of-state acceptances, or to balance applications for high schoolers who did not meet a GPA cut-off. Each college is different so make sure to check the requirements carefully even if they are broadly “test-optional.”
Many of these policy changes are only temporary exemptions due to the coronavirus pandemic. Presumably, standardized testing will return as admissions requirements once the pandemic is under control. If you plan to enroll at a community college that is test-blind, you may still need to submit SAT scores in a few years when transferring to a four-year campus. If you are applying to college at a later time, it is important to check if SAT scores are back on the requirements list for your future application season.
4. Your SAT score can be used to qualify for scholarships. Your UPchieve college mentor online can help you check qualification requirements.
5. If you are applying to a test-optional school, a great SAT score can help you stand out if your sports, volunteer-work, and other activities were cancelled during the pandemic.
The long answer: maybe not
There has been a gradual movement to get rid of standardized tests for good. Critics have pointed out that standardized tests do not accurately assess someone’s academic ability. Moreover, the system unfairly benefits higher-income students. Since income tends to overlap with racial demographics in the United States due to our complex history of racial discrimination, there is a significant gap in standardized testing scores between white students and their black peers. Due to these concerns, colleges and universities have been moving away from the SAT for the last fifteen years.
Also, as we wrote earlier, the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) campuses are removing SAT and ACT exams completely by 2025. This move has the potential to influence the entire nation. CSU is the largest higher education system in the country with over 484,000 students enrolled each year. The UCs are large as well, enrolling over 226,000 students last year. Both systems are seeing record-breaking enrollment numbers and are expected to continue growing. Moreover, the UCs are especially influential with prestigious campuses such as UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC San Diego attracting competitive applicants from all over the world. With so many high schoolers no longer incentivized to take the SAT in order to enroll in a UC or CSU, other colleges may be encouraged to drop their requirement as well. But until that happens, it is not quite “goodbye” to the SAT just yet.
For more individualized college advice, make sure to connect with a free, online tutor through UPchieve.org. Our tutors are available 24/7 and free for qualifying high schoolers. We can even help you prep for the SAT!