Does the SAT Really Matter in 2021, When Everyone Is Going Test-Optional??
Even though many schools are test-optional, with more switching every year - and a record number of colleges are pausing requirements because of COVID-19 - taking standardized tests like the SAT shows colleges that you’re “college ready.” They are a way to compare students across high schools, and allow colleges to better identify students who will succeed.
The University of California system set up a task force to determine if they should go test optional. They first voted to keep the SAT, then decided to phase it out.
Do I Need the SAT If More Schools Are Going Test-Optional?
A seemingly growing list of schools - especially with the coronavirus! - are going test-optional: giving you the option to apply to college without submitting SAT/ACT scores. Because most schools are not test-optional, and most highly competitive colleges still require SAT/ACT scores, you may wonder:
If I don’t submit my test score, will this put me at a disadvantage?
Is submitting a ‘low’ test score better than submitting none?
Is increasing my score on the SAT a good way to spend my time?
Why does the SAT matter for college admissions? Why have colleges used the SAT for SO LONG?
Colleges see your GPA as the predictor of how you do over time: Are you resilient? Do you know how to study? Do you know how to continue working hard for a long time? Do you show progress from where you start?
Show colleges you are “college ready”: I have been on the phone with admissions officers at highly selective colleges who have said that kids who can’t get above a 550 on both sections of the SAT just won’t be able to keep up academically at their schools - that they’ve tried before, and students scoring below those numbers can’t make it, regardless of the assistance they’re given.
Grade inflation/course rigor: SAT scores help level the playing field where GPAs don’t tell the whole story - some schools inflate grades crazily, where other schools have incredibly difficult teachers who give B minuses out sparingly. Some schools weight all honors classes, while some only weight AP classes. Some schools offer kids 7 AP classes they can take senior year, while others offer AP classes every year starting in 10th grade and have about 25. SAT scores are an across-the-board measure, where every kid takes a test that is comparable to the test every other kid took - it allows the college to make apples-to-apples comparisons.
Pick kids who can succeed: Colleges don’t want to set students up to fail. From the perspective of a college/university, the application process is essentially choosing the students that will be the most likely to succeed at their school. And the SAT correlates with data from graduation rates, college GPA, and overall “success.” For a school choosing between hundreds of thousands of students a year, any additional data - in this case, the SAT - are helpful in making a decision.
However, there is also a clear correlation between SAT scores and wealth. The SAT seemed to be a way to keep poor kids out of the best schools. This brought some concern to colleges and universities across the U.S., especially given the history of the SAT and how it was used as an exclusionary measure during its inception: PBS has put together a great history of the SAT (the first exam was given in 1901, and you can take parts of it online!), and also helps understand the diverse perspectives about different facets of the exam.
“But the test itself, while certainly imperfect, is not the root cause of the problem. Rather, it is simply the most visible, measurable symptom of the systemic inequity that pervades college admissions and our entire K-12 education system.”
Test-Optional Timeline
January 2019
University of California creates a standardized testing task force of 18 people - deciding “to examine the current use of standardized testing for UC admission… and determine whether any changes in admission testing policies or practices are necessary to ensure that the University continues to use standardized tests in the appropriate way.”
March 2019
Varsity Blues scandal + cases of people paying others to take standardized tests in the student’s place come to light. More questioning of the validity of these tests emerge.
December 2019
University of California sued for violating state civil rights laws since these tests discriminate against disabled, low-income, multilingual and underrepresented minority students.
February 2020
The task force recommends:
removing the essay portion of the SAT/ACT.
keeping the standardized test requirement - it is a good predictor of college success for all students, despite their backgrounds.
April 2020
The UC Academic Senate votes 51-0 to keep the standardized testing requirement.
May 2020
The UC system announces they are phasing it out in the next 5 years.
All of the Ivies said that they are making SAT scores optional for students submitting in 2020-2021.
However, most college access folks are telling students to keep taking the SAT - because not taking it means your choices may be limited. And, even with coronavirus, they will remain a fact - the College Board has added tests so that a test is available to students during one weekend of every month from August - December 2020.
So what does NACAC say?
NACAC, the National Association for College Admission Counseling, founded in 1937, is the biggest association for people who help kids apply to college - high school college access counselors, guidance counselors, college consultants, and the college and financial aid counselors themselves - everyone in the world looks to NACAC for a definitive answer to questions about college.
At the conferences, NACAC holds panel discussions with admissions officers at colleges, asking them what schools are looking for.
Here’s what MIT has to say:
“On the one hand, we know that testing is flawed. We know that the construction of testing is biased. We know that access to preparation and the time to engage in testing is not equitable.
But on the other hand, we also know that testing is a really strong predictor of success on our campus.
We know that students with stronger test scores are more likely to graduate on time and are more likely to have a higher GPA.”
Here’s what UChicago, the highest profile school to go test-optional, explains:
“Your transcript shows your academic record in the context of your school, but, since one school can be very different from another, it is useful to see evidence of academic achievement that exists outside of the context of your school.
These tests can provide valuable information about a student which we and other colleges will consider alongside the other elements in a student’s application. We encourage students to take standardized tests like the SAT and ACT, and to share your scores with us if you think that they are reflective of your ability and potential.
Given that many of our peers do require testing, we anticipate that the vast majority of students will continue to take tests and may still submit their test scores to UChicago.”
What are the big takeaways?
If you want to consider going to a highly selective school, take the SAT.
If you come from a population that’s traditionally underrepresented, and you do well on the SAT, it will REALLY help you, because it shows you’re college-ready.
If you come from a student population that’s traditionally overrepresented, take the SAT.
The SAT shows you’re ready for college-level work.
GPA is more important than ever!!
For additional information about how the SAT is changing, check out our articles here and here! Want to know if the SAT still matters? Read more here!
