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Will colleges ever do away with standardized testing?

Many people, including myself, stress over SATs and ACTs. I believe that these tests never truly show an individual's true potential. SAT and ACT scores can also be the make-it-or-break-it determination of someone getting into their dream college, which is completely unfair. Will the SAT and ACT ever get taken away?

#SAT #ACT #college #college-admissions

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Thank you comment icon Hi Sophonie, That's a good question. I, too, stress about the SAT because I need to work very hard to get into a specific range. However, colleges would not just consider SAT score. They also look at your GPA, extracurricular activities, and your personal statement. Although for highly competitive schools, they do consider SAT/ACT a little bit more because it is like the basic requirement for students who go to those schools to have a good foundation in English and math. There's nothing wrong with that, and that's what makes those schools competitive. Since it is a standardized test, I think it would take very long for them to get rid of it or never. They would change the format, but I don't think they would get rid of it. Wish you the best luck! Joy Joy
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Shay’s Answer

I can relate because I stressed about my SAT in high school. To answer your question, I don't see standardized testing going away but I see it becoming less important in college admissions. Ivy league schools have all gone test-optional for 2020-2021 admissions, partially due to COVID-19 but I believe partially because they also recognize the diminishing importance of standardized testing. The original purpose of these tests was to have a universal comparison for all students at a national and international level, regardless of course offerings. But as the test prep industry emerges and more and more kids are scoring high on the SAT and ACT, colleges are not valuing it as much as a differentiating factor. For example, even high level colleges on average will have high ranges of SAT scores from admitted students such as 1420-1560. While it's impressive to score in this range, an SAT or ACT score will not make or break an application. If the Ivy League schools continue to be test-optional after COVID-19 goes away, I could see other schools following suit and students opting not to take the tests at all, which would do away with them entirely. But I think that at this point, enough schools use those tests to check a box in that a student that has taken and done well on it is worth evaluating in the next phase of admissions.
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Chris’s Answer

A lot of colleges have already made the SAT optional, including the following:

  • Bates College
  • Bowdoin College
  • Bryn Mawr College
  • The George Washington University
  • Hofstra University
  • Pitzer College (for students with a ≥3.5 unweighted GPA or who are in the top 10% of their high school class)
  • Sarah Lawrence College
  • Smith College (for US citizens/permanent residents)
  • University of Chicago
  • University of Iowa
  • Wake Forest University
  • Wesleyan University 

Many top colleges, including Harvard, Princeton, and MIT do not require the essay part of the SAT.


Hampshire College doesn't even want to see any of your SAT scores and will reject any reports sent to them.


I'd say there is a trend towards de-emphasizing SAT scores or providing alternate ways to measure student performance, but many schools still (and will continue to) rely on the scores.


I've always felt that the SAT is more of a memory test than anything else. This is especially true of the verbal section, where a lot of the questions are of the "either-you-know-it-or-you-don't" sort.


Taking the SAT is a skill like any other, and one way to reduce the stress level is practice, practice, practice. You can take the SAT as many times as you like and report your highest score to your colleges of choice. Another good way to prepare is to take the PSAT - it will give you exposure to the format, so that when you go to take the SAT, the experience will be familiar.


Good luck!


Sources:

  • https://blog.prepscholar.com/the-complete-guide-to-sat-optional-colleges
  • https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/04/26/604875394/study-colleges-that-ditch-the-sat-and-act-can-enhance-diversity
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