Should I take the Sat or Act? How Important is the SAT or ACT? Let’s get straight to the question on everyone’s mind: “Should I take the SAT or ACT if it’s not REQUIRED?”

For those of you looking for the quick answer, here it is:

The long answer is, well, a lot longer. 

First, let’s take a look at what happened with standardized testing in 2020. During the pandemic, a court order prohibited the UCs from using SAT and ACT scores in admissions. They cited unequal access to such tests, particularly among the disabled student community. This may seem like an isolated COVID-19 response, but that’s not the entire picture. This ruling came after the UCs were already under immense pressure to abandon these tests from within. Even with this pressure, the court order only applied for the immediate years after COVID-19.

Since then, some schools, especially top Ivy League schools, have been bringing back test requirements, while others still haven’t gone back to looking at SAT and ACT scores.

If you’re confused about the messaging, don’t worry; we are too. Years after the pandemic, we’re still in a transitory phase as universities continue to assess the role of standardized testing in the admissions process.

Okay, so what does this mean for you?

First, your GPA now matters a lot more. Before the pandemic, students’ GPA and SAT score would split points when it came to determining their academic potential. However, all those points are now shifting over to your GPA. Since about 50% of your candidacy depends on the numbers, that’s a lot of points now suddenly dependent on your grades, so make sure to get mostly A’s.

In the same way, your activities also become more important. With test scores out of the picture, this should be no surprise. It’s not too late to add another activity to your experience, especially since your extracurriculars can soften the impact of a low GPA.

Third, your application essays also play a huge role in your chances of making it into top colleges. Understanding why you did the things you did often outshines what you did. After all, your reasoning, learning, and sense of purpose is what differentiates you from everyone else who did DECA, HOSA, and FRC.

Here’s the bottom line. You should take the SAT and/or ACT if:

If you’re still not sure whether you should be focusing on standardized testing, check out our YouTube video about it. And don’t panic about how much you have to study, either—our skilled educational consultants can build you a customized study plan so you can boost your score in record time.

Schedule your free consultation here. See you soon!

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