On Jan. 25, it was posted on many different social media platforms that the SAT, the standardized testing for helping an individual continue their education at the college level, will be held online by the year 2024. I can understand why it is being transferred to an online setting from a health standpoint, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, I am distraught over this from a student who had to take the SAT multiple times in person and had studied for countless hours.
According to the College Board’s findings of in-person standardized testing versus online testing, 100 percent of the faculty said they preferred it to be online, and 80 percent of the student body said it was more enjoyable to take online. Priscilla Rodriquez, the Vice President at the College Board, said that the online SAT would be shorter and more accessible for students.
While I am sure high school students are ecstatic over this, I feel cheated or wronged in a way. Even today, I am not the best test taker I never have been. After I struggled so much with the SAT, I am displeased to hear that it will be easier in the future.
I remember stressing for months about taking that test, waking up early to take it, providing correct documentation, and taking the test for five hours. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to be more accessible and shorter. I wonder if other high school graduates feel the same as I do. Perhaps they don’t care and think it is an excellent idea for more people to get into college and have an easier means of getting in.
It also raises the question of whether colleges will be more critical or demand better scores because it is becoming easier in content. Some colleges require a minimum score from the SAT that ensures that you have a better chance at getting accepted. Schools might raise these scores in response to the SAT becoming easier.
While the SAT is not a mandatory requirement for applying and getting accepted by colleges, it does help one’s credibility to show how well one can perform. You could have a great GPA with many recommendations and be involved with clubs/organizations that can help boost your image to get into schools.
Another question that it brings up is whether other tests will become less strict, such as doctoral tests. Perhaps I am overreacting a little, but who knows what will happen? Maybe the SAT will become an open book test one day, and maybe colleges will not accept it as a means for helping you get into school.
Though I still do not like that the SAT will transition online and be easier to take, perhaps my thoughts will change. My brother will have to take that test someday to get into college, and maybe he will not have to stress as much as I did when I was his age. Thinking from the teachers’ and students’ points of view, no one wants to get up early on the weekend to take a test and monitor students for five hours.