Aubryanna Lee

Co-A&E Editor

Have you taken the SAT? Have you taken the ACT? Have you ever been worried about not getting into college because of your SAT or ACT scores? Well, if you are a student in the Class of 2023 or any of the following classes, you may not have to worry about submitting any standardized test scores to any colleges.

      There are over 850 schools that no longer require applicants to submit their SAT scores (The New York Times). Colleges say that removing the SAT scores helps them attract strong applicants that may not have previously applied. This includes minority students, those from low income families, and those whose academic abilities are not showcased by standardized tests. Data shows that tests like the SAT are biased against students from low-income households. Students coming from low-socioeconomic backgrounds tend to have a lower performance on standardized tests.

       The reason for this is the high expenses for preparatory courses,  study books, and tutors.

For years, there has been a debate between universities and colleges over how much weight should be given to standardized tests as officials consider students for admissions and whether they should be required at all. Some families spend thousands of dollars to prepare for a test that does not fully demonstrate a student’s true qualifications. Some families will spend over $20,000 on SAT prep and top tutors charge over $600 an hour. The majority of students applying to colleges spend hundreds of hours doing SAT/ACT prep when they could be doing other activities pertaining to college. There are other things that can be done in high school to help prepare you for college and demonstrate that you are qualified. Taking an AP course, and the AP test that goes with the class,  show that you have the ability to do college level coursework.

         Many colleges admit that the most important thing in your application is your essay. The personal essay shows your personality, your ability to express yourself, what you care about and what you say makes you stand out from the other thousands of applicants. They can be helpful when it comes to determining whether you will perform well in college. Some schools are starting to move away from how much weight the standardized tests hold in applications.