As school comes to a close, with our end-of-year months fastly approaching, it circulates in conversation yet again. Mainly college for seniors, and juniors looking for early admissions into the next years of our lives. SAT scores have been posted for our scholars, hoping to send them to their respective schools if they ended up getting a decent score. Many schools do not require submissions of SAT scores for their admissions to get accepted, yet some still do.
Students have studied for the SAT over the past few months before they took it around a month ago. Some students have different ways of studying, though.
Blaire Griffiths states, “I took an SAT prep class before taking my first SAT and then used the data I got from the prep class to study via Khan Academy before getting my current score, which is a 1320.”
Most colleges have decided not to require SAT scores, recently revealing that most students are not good test-takers, whether that stems from test anxiety or from personal choices not to study.
I personally do not test well because I do not retain knowledge from studying very well, no matter what method I try. Whether it’s repetitive flashcards until I remember definitions or reading with white noise in the background, nothing works.
According to Fairtest, more than 80% of colleges and universities in the U.S. stopped requiring SAT scores due to gathering a larger group of applicants, because these students believe they have a chance to get into their dream school. Fairtest. (2024, February 21). OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF U.S. COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES REMAIN ACT/SAT OPTIONAL OR TEST-BLIND/SCORE-FREE FOR FALL 2025 – Fairtest
A lot of prestigious universities do still require test scores, but all provide merit-based scholarships. Predominantly White Institutions range from acceptable scores of 1400-1450, while Historically Black Colleges or Universities range anywhere from 1270-1350.
Kimberly Ford, Lakeside teacher, states, “There are some ethnic students who do not test well, yet still have great potential. HBCUs are less stringent about test scores because they know their scholars have the potential to be great and shine.”
Colleges and universities no longer requiring SAT scores to be sent in applications has been monumental for our education system because it provides a chance to students who have potential to be great, no matter what a state-mandated test may argue against.
