When the pandemic hit in March 2020, students were forced to put their pencils down, and hundreds of colleges and universities no longer required standardized test scores. Now, four years later, the test optional rule still stands for 80% of universities, even with access to tests returning to normal.
Since the transition to a “test-optional” world, the SAT went digital in March 2024. However, currently around 50% of applicants in 2023 applied to college without test scores, according to a report from Inside Higher Education.
According to the College Board, the average SAT total score declined for the class of 2023.
Students like sophomore Milo Neilson say that the SAT can be overwhelming for students because they are expected to recall knowledge across English and Math subject areas. He says this leads to test anxiety. “You’re not thinking about Algebra Two every day, and you’re not thinking about Algebra One every day, or Geometry, or [English],” he said.
Reading Specialist Ms. Jennifer Wilson says that one test does not determine whether or not a student is considered successful. “One day’s test is not going to determine your ability to be successful in college,” she said.
“If kids are not strong at testing, it can make them feel as if their brain on the test can override any of the knowledge or problem-solving skills they would use to answer the questions,” said Ms. Wilson.
Kaleo Krapfl, a senior, says that a score does not show students’ true intelligence. “I don’t think the score attributes to how a student works. I think it’s more of how much knowledge they retain over an amount of time,” he said.
According to an article published in the New York Times, standardized test scores are a better predictor than high school grades, student essays, and teacher recommendations when determining how a student will perform at a top college. Without standardized test scores, college admissions officers say they have a hard time picking applicants who are likely to do well at top universities.
English teacher Ms. Betsy Fetchko says the SAT does not accurately assess a student’s full potential as a student. “I don’t think the SAT is designed to test what you’ve learned or even how you’ve learned to think. I think it’s designed to test how well you take a test,” she said.
Some students see the advantages of taking the SAT. According to data from the College Board, 1.9 million students took the SAT in 2023 compared to the 1.5 Million students in 2021. Highly ranked colleges, such as Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, will no longer be test-optional starting in 2029. Dartmouth President Sian Beilock says their admissions office believes test scores help determine the potential success of a student at Dartmouth.
Senior Avery Iadarola will be attending Johns Hopkins University next year. She submitted her SAT scores as a part of her admissions process.
Avery says submitting her SAT score strengthened her college application. However, she recognizes her situation is not the same as everyone else’s. “One of the biggest reasons I chose to take [the SAT] is because I’m a good test taker, but I know a lot of people that are not.”
Senior Makaela Mainor chose to apply to colleges test-optional. Makaela was accepted into The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill without providing an SAT score. She says the strongest part of her application was the writing portion. For students like Makaela, an SAT score was not necessary to get accepted into a top university.
The New York Times predicts that top colleges will revert back to requiring test scores to act as predictors of college success.
As 80% of colleges remain test optional, juniors are left with the decision to submit test scores or not when applying to college in the Fall of 2024.
Junior Lauren Sykes says she appreciates having the choice of submitting scores, but she recognizes the impact of the SAT on the college admissions process. “The [choice of] the SAT definitely stresses me out. If I go test optional, I know the SAT will be a big part of my application, but I think schools being test optional provides some relief,” she said.
