The number of students taking the SAT college admissions test at least once is growing back to pre-pandemic figures鈥攅ven as some colleges and universities made the test optional at the onset of the pandemic.
More than 1.9 million students in the graduating class of 2023 took the test, according to the College Board, which administers the test. That marks an upswing from a major decline in test takers between the graduating classes of 2020 which finished high school just after the onset of the pandemic and 2021 (more than 2.1 million versus more than 1.5 million respectively).
Yet even as the number of test takers grows, the average total score on the test鈥檚 math and reading and writing sections remain on a bit of a decline since 2017. At the same time, highlights how students from wealthier households are more likely to score higher on standardized college admissions tests such as the SAT and the ACT.
College admissions experts say that even in a test optional world, tests like the SAT are here to stay.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 going to take a while for people to really relax into test-optional and for the institutions that are choosing to be test-optional to pivot away from prioritizing standardized testing, because that has been such a big part of assessing a student鈥檚 readiness for college and comparing applicants for all these years,鈥� said Rachel York, a college admissions counselor and academic adviser at educational consulting firm IvyWise.
What the SAT can offer college admissions officers
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, several colleges and universities, including highly selective institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, stopped requiring SAT scores in applications鈥攁 response to disruptions from the pandemic.
The College Board paused SAT testing in March, May, and June of 2020, and even when testing resumed in August that year, many local test centers closed or reduced capacity due to health and safety concerns, the nonprofit said in a statement.
But now, some institutions are reversing course, once again requiring the test. MIT announced a reinstitution of the SAT for applicants in March 2022.
鈥淥ur research shows standardized tests help us better assess the academic preparedness of all applicants, and also help us identify socioeconomically disadvantaged students who lack access to advanced coursework or other enrichment opportunities that would otherwise demonstrate their readiness for MIT,鈥� said Stu Schmill, dean of admissions and student financial services . 鈥淲e believe a requirement is more equitable and transparent than a test-optional policy.鈥�
MIT鈥檚 return to requiring the SAT makes sense given that a student鈥檚 performance on the test鈥檚 math section in particular has been a helpful indicator of the student鈥檚 readiness for such a STEM-focused school, York said. Other test-optional institutions may focus more on a student鈥檚 GPA.
What SAT scores reflect about access to quality education
John N. Friedman, a professor of economics at Brown University who co-authored a July study on the factors that go into admissions decisions at highly selective, private institutions, said that MIT鈥檚 return to the SAT also makes sense for equity.
In the study, researchers found that SAT scores reflect longstanding disparities in students鈥� access to quality education. Specifically, they found that students from wealthier families were far more likely to score higher on the test.
Factors such as family income, race, and where students live all impact students鈥� educational opportunities overall.
鈥淭hese test scores correlate with lots of these demographic divides,鈥� Friedman said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 not a divide that the test created, it鈥檚 a divide that exists due to these deep factors in society.鈥�
When it comes to the role SAT scores play in college admissions, Friedman paints a scenario: A student from an expensive, high-quality private school with access to multiple AP courses does very well academically in advanced math courses and also scores high on the SAT. That helps admission officers at places like MIT know that the student is ready for a typical MIT student workload.
A student at a school with fewer resources, including fewer AP and other advanced math course options, and who doesn鈥檛 score high on the SAT may not interest MIT admission officers. However, a student at the same school with a high SAT score might be considered by admissions officers because within their school context they still showed strong math skills on the standardized test.
It鈥檚 partly why York and others advising students encourage them to take the SAT even if they don鈥檛 plan to submit any scores.
鈥淚f you score well on standardized testing, that鈥檚 an asset to your application, even at schools that are test optional,鈥� York said.
Friedman, the Brown researcher, said the SAT is not without biases. In fact, students from less advantaged families don鈥檛 always have access to the test itself because of fees or the lack of transportation to get to a testing center. However, the College Board does offer fee waivers under .
But the test is still a good measure of historic disparities that all educators should pay attention to, he added.
Why students are still advised to take the SAT
When asked about the validity of relying on SAT scores when scores overall are declining (as also seen with ACT scores), York said context matters for college admissions officers.
Educators across the country saw dips in grades in the early years of the pandemic so a similar drop in SAT scores is not unexpected, she added.
It鈥檚 also important to note that the students who are submitting test scores are the ones who are doing exceptionally well, York said.
Regardless, York still advises students to take the SAT.
David Hawkins, chief education and policy officer with the National Association for College Admission Counseling, says there are broader benefits students should consider when deciding to take the test.
For instance, some students might not immediately know where they plan to apply. So taking the test covers their bases if a school ends up requiring it, Hawkins said.
And there are scholarships that rely on standardized test scores as eligibility criteria, including state merit-based grants, even in states where admissions are test-optional for now, Hawkins added.
While it鈥檚 too early to tell what the Supreme Court鈥檚 ruling on affirmative action earlier this year will mean for the value of SAT scores when race can no longer be a factor admissions officers look at when reviewing applicants, York doesn鈥檛 see the SAT鈥檚 role in the process going away any time soon.
鈥淢y hope is that we can continue to kind of elevate the other aspects of a student鈥檚 application, the transcripts, what they鈥檝e done, what their teachers say about them as an indication of who鈥檚 going to be successful, especially in the wake of the Supreme Court decision,鈥� she said.
