Until fairly recently, all high school students planning to attend (or even thinking of attending) a four year college took the SAT or the ACT. These tests were used as one part of the entrance requirement process for most colleges and universities. The higher a student scored the more likely they were to be accepted into the school of their choice. Of course, there were other factors that college and university admissions personnel reviewed, but a student’s score on the SAT or ACT was a factor which weighed heavily in the selection process. That now seems to be changing.
In April 2020, the University of California (UC) system announced that beginning in fall 2021, all UC universities would no longer require an SAT or ACT score as part of their admissions process. The decision was cited as being partially due to unavailability of testing locations caused by Covid-19 closures, but also came on the heels of a many years long debate on the topic. Activists have held the position that both the SAT and ACT unfairly favored privileged students and did not accurately reflect a student’s academic ability. (See CNN article below.)
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/15/us/university-of-california-sat-act-scores-admission/index.html)
Then, just last week, almost one year after the UC system announcement, the California State University system announced that the SAT and ACT would be eliminated from its admission requirements as well. They cited the same reasons as the UC system for the removal of these tests as part of their admission process, specifically stating that the tests placed minority and low income students at a disadvantage when compared with more privileged students. Following is an excerpt from the article:
Students can still choose to submit SAT or ACT scores to determine their placement for English and math courses, according to Cal State spokesperson. But the scores will have no bearing on their admission to a Cal State school.
(See article below.)
So, are the SAT and ACT dead? Should students still prepare for and take the SAT or ACT?
Well, it depends on several things – the student, the type of schooling or education they had in high school (read article that follows below) and on the college or university they plan to attend.
As an example, on March 28, 2022, MIT announced that they will again require SAT or ACT test scores as part of their admissions process. MIT is joined by a handful of other colleges and universities doing the same. Full article available here: https://www.highereddive.com/news/mit-bucks-trend-revives-standardized-test-score-requirement-for-admissions/621146/
To summarize – the decision to take the SAT can depend on a number of factors. However, if a student decides to take the SAT, then proper preparation is recommended to achieve the highest score possible. Success Tutoring Online has helped many students prepare for both the SAT and ACT. Additionally, for students who have previously taken the SAT or ACT on their own but were not satisfied with their score, our tutors, using individualized, one-to-one tutoring, have helped increase their scores.
If you are interested in using the summer to prepare for taking the SAT or ACT, please let us know as soon as possible so we can work out the schedule with an appropriate tutor. Call our main offices at (818) 557-7379 or email [email protected]. You can also get more information about our services by visiting our website: https://www.successtutoringonline.com/
Hurry. Summer schedules fill up fast!
Thank you,
Armando Salcido
