The era of the paper SAT and PSAT is over. The age of the digital SAT and PSAT has begun…almost. Students will get their first opportunity to take the digital PSAT this fall and the digital SAT the following spring. Meaning, by this time next year only digital...
The first thing I’m going to do is talk about the origin of the testing that we do and talk about some of the changes that have happened. The SAT started almost a hundred years ago. It’s been a long time. The ACT came online quite a bit later, but still quite a while ago. They started in different places. The SAT started on the East Coast with the Ivy League, and the ACT started in Iowa City, Iowa, so that was really focused on people in the middle of the country. Eventually the SAT became really big on both the West Coast and East Coast, and the ACT continued to have most prominence in the Midwest and parts of the South. Over time the tests had changed quite a bit, especially the SAT. Over the time that I’ve been doing this (about thirty years) it’s changed about four times.
We’re going to talk about is what should parents of sophomores (current sophomores who will be juniors next year), what should they be thinking about at this time, and what should the kids be thinking about in terms of how to use their summer.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 1,070 colleges that allowed applicants to choose whether or not to submit SAT or ACT scores. Over the past year, about 700 more colleges temporarily suspended their test score requirements, and at least half of those schools are currently considering extending their test optional policies. Despite the fact that life is slowly returning to normal, test optional policies seem poised to continue for the foreseeable future. How have test optional policies impacted students? Who should still take the SAT or ACT? What are other ways, besides test scores, to stand out?
Just as with the SAT (discussed in the previous blog post), students can often feel that they are interacting with a completely impersonal system when preparing for the ACT. Fortunately, like the SAT, the people who work for the ACT are also there to help, offering...
UPDATED FOR 2023 Although many colleges and universities still have adopted test-optional policies due to Covid-19, submitting SAT or ACT test scores is still be a good way for students to increase their chances of admission. Therefore, students and their families...
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