This year’s SAT is on March 4 for North Central juniors. Students have started preparing for the test and aiming for a good score.
“I am getting tutoring and studying individually to prepare for the SAT,” junior Meredy Malloy said.
Although for many the SAT seems far away, many students believe in starting their preparations early.
“I recommend that students do prep work for the SAT and leading up to the test, good self care, like getting a good night’s sleep, eating a good breakfast the day of, and come prepared,” college and career counselor coordinator Deana Fogle said.
After and during COVID more universities stopped requiring test scores for students, but test scores are starting to come back as a requirement for more and more schools.
“I have seen more and more schools requiring SAT scores, though most are still optional,” senior Julia Eynon said.
The reasoning for this transition is to help schools gain a better understanding of their applicants.
“As colleges are doing research, they’re finding that test scores can be an important part of the picture. Grades aren’t necessarily as good an indicator of how students will do in college, but test scores don’t suffer from grade inflation,” Fogle said.
Students have mixed feelings about these returning requirements.
“I didn’t think the SAT was that bad of a test, but it is a very long test,” Eynon said.
Students often feel pressured to get good scores on the SAT, but they shouldn’t.
“I feel a little bit of pressure from the SAT because it is important and it can be impactful for college and my future but I think having lots of time to prepare for the SAT definitely relieves pressure,” Malloy said.
The SAT is regaining its importance, as it is once again a key aspect of applications.
“The SAT is important, but it’s not going to make or break anyone’s future. However, more and more colleges are starting to require test scores again,” Fogle said.
Although the SAT is important there are other ways to look good for colleges.
“Good activities that show that you have found things you’re interested in and you’re pursuing it. As opposed to, I did this for one year. I did this for one year. I think you probably want this on my resume. You know, they want to see who you are, not who you think they want you to be,” Fogle said.
