On Jan. 25th, the College Board announced that the SAT would be delivered digitally beginning in 2024. The test is said to be shorter, allowing students to be done within two hours. It further provides students with access to scores within days, rather than weeks.
This change comes as many colleges and universities across the country are converting to test-optional applications. In fact, according to The Common Application, colleges requiring test scores decreased from 55% during the 2019–2020 school year to merely 5% during the 2021–2022 school year.
This sparks the question: Should students really concern themselves with taking standardized tests anymore?
“I think it’s important to do some serious research into the school before you decide to take the SAT to know whether or not [test scores] really matter to the school,” said Justice English teacher Julie Reiter, who taught SAT prep classes for Princeton Review in the past. “Unless you know you’re going to get a really great score, then I can’t say how worth it it is to test.”
“Unless you study for hours, which adds to the already heavy workload high school students face, it’s difficult to get a really great score on the SAT.”
Senior Daniel Brock
Justice senior Daniel Brock did not submit test scores during his application process as he decided not to take the SAT or ACT. Even without submitting test scores, Brock still received acceptance from competitive schools such as the University of Virginia and Villanova University.
“Unless you study for hours, which adds to the already heavy workload high school students face, it’s difficult to get a really great score on the SAT,” said Brock. “I think that already having a strong application proved that not submitting SAT scores had no real impact in the process.”
Students have also begun correlating their performance on these standardized tests with a successful future. This leads to major stress when taking the tests, which can affect a student’s scores.
A study done by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that students’ level of a stress hormone (cortisol) rises by about 15% on average in the week when high-stakes standardized tests are given, such as the SAT and ACT.
“Many students have test anxiety, which is a major disadvantage for them because they’re not able to answer the questions the same way they would in their normal environment,” said junior Grace James.
“Students from higher-income homes tend to score better… they’re more likely to have grown up in a highly literate environment.”
Teacher Julie Reiter
Standardized testing also disproportionately affects students in lower-income households. The fee for the ACT, without writing, is $60.00, and with writing is $88.00. The SAT fee starts at $55.00, however, there is an additional late fee of $30.00 and a change fee of $25.00. This doesn’t take into account retaking the tests, which students often do when not satisfied with their initial scores.
“Students from higher-income homes tend to score better… they’re more likely to have grown up in a highly literate environment,” said Reiter. “They’re also more likely to have money for prep classes if they need them, and the time to study because they’re not working to help support their families.”
Further, according to CollegeVine, in 2019 the average SAT score for students with a family income level of less than $20,000 was a 970. The average score for students with a family income level of $200,000 or more was 1230.
On the other hand, the SAT and ACT do provide merit scholarships for the top-scoring students. The top 1% of scorers on the PSAT by state are given National Merit Semifinalist status, which means they can compete for finalist status and a scholarship of $2,500. Colleges will also grant additional scholarships to students who list them as first choice on their National Merit Scholarship Application.
The alternative to SAT/ACT testing is to abolish them completely. Standardized testing supporters argue that the test scores give students the opportunity to demonstrate their college readiness beyond their grade point average (GPA). However, others hold the belief that colleges should really focus on the student’s cumulative GPA throughout their high school years, in addition to extracurricular activities and essays.