MINNEAPOLIS — Earlier this week, the SAT announced some big changes.
Here are the most significant changes to the test:
- Starting in 2024, the SAT will be taken online
- Test takers will be allowed to use calculators for the math section
- The test will be cut down from three hours to two hours
- Students will still need to show up to a school or test center to take the exam
Chris Wills with College Inside Track says the changes were made to make the SAT more appealing to students and colleges.
"These testing companies are really struggling to stay relevant,” Wills said.
These changes to the SAT will be significant for students, parents and colleges, but Wills says it’s unclear if these changes will spread to other standardized tests like the ACT.
"We don't know yet. It will be very interesting to see if these new announcements from the SAT prompt the ACT to make some changes of their own. I wouldn’t be surprised if they do make some changes in the next six to 12 months,” Wills said.
Wills says the testing companies aren't just getting pressure from kids and parents. According to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, more than 1,800 colleges are now test optional.
But Wills says there's a catch.
"What the colleges don't talk a lot about is that many of them, not all, still use the test scores for how they give out their scholarships,” Wills said.
So, if you're counting on scholarships or financial aid, Wills says at many schools you still have to take a standardized test. Plus, Wills says taking the test will give students an academic advantage.
"What we've seen in the last year or two is that students who strategically submit a stronger test score, it actually does benefit them,” Wills says.
"It's rarely publicly stated that way, but that is what's happening. You can take the test and get your test score, and make a determination of whether or not that would be strategically in your advantage."
Wills says another important thing to consider is that many colleges became "test optional" during the pandemic.
"These decisions were made by colleges during a time when students couldn't take the tests. There was no way they could get a test score to submit, because the testing sites were closed,” Wills says.
So, some colleges could decide to go back to requiring standardized tests once the pandemic is over and testing centers become more accessible.
Here in Minnesota, the SAT and ACT are optional for high school students. But more than a dozen states still require them before graduation, even if they aren't planning to go to college.
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