In order to adjust to pandemic-age education, the College Board announced an unprecedented decision to stop offering their Scholastic Aptitude subject tests and the SAT essay portion. This will take effect immediately for students in the United States as of its January 19 announcement and will be implemented in June for international students.

The SAT subject tests and the optional SAT essay were tests commonly taken by students in the past, making up an important set of standardized test scores in college applications. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been a significant obstacle for test centers to safely administer tests. These difficult circumstances have caused many schools to cancel standardized testing, thus making test-taking schedules extremely unpredictable.

The College Board made this change to promote student wellness and adapt to pandemic-era admissions processes. They also disclosed that the change had already been underway before COVID-19 and that the pandemic simply accelerated it; however, the initial purpose of the change was still to reduce the academic demand of students.

PHS College Counselor Nipurna Shah believes that the pandemic test-taking environment is unnerving and that the cancellation of these tests would bring much-needed ease for students, aligning with the College Board’s intent.

“There’ve been so many test centers that have canceled tests, and...when students sign up for a makeup [test], makeup tests are canceled. The uncertainty of [test-taking] ...is scary,” Shah said.

While many students were unable to take their tests, those who took them found that test-taking had become increasingly strenuous during the pandemic. Test takers were required to follow strict safety protocols during the test, including wearing masks for the entire duration of the administered test and sitting at least 6 feet apart from all other students.

The removal of these tests will not only eliminate the current health risks students have to face but also change the way colleges assess student applicants in the long run. By eliminating two standardized tests, colleges will place more emphasis on other elements of an applicant’s profile.

Since fewer standardized test scores will be taken into consideration, Maggie Yin ’21 who took the subject tests last year, predicts a change in the mindsets of students applying to college.

“I feel like it would change the standard of how people apply to colleges and how people view themselves, [how they] compare to others when applying to colleges,” Yin said.

Shah also sees the trend of colleges taking a progressive view on the admissions process, one with less of a focus on testing.

“The colleges [will] really use more of a qualitative part of their application. So their writings for the different essays that are required, their activities section, [and] letters of recommendation ...Those things are sort of weighed more heavily in the context of a college application than a test score would be weighed,” Shah said.

Having activities and essays weighing more in applications would give students a unique opportunity to showcase their story using their voice, instead of simply comparing test scores.

The removal of the SAT subject tests and essay portion will also open up a significant amount of time that students can allot to activities they are passionate about.

Ashley Tao ’22, who had planned on taking both tests, believes that the removal of SAT subject tests and the essay will allow students to focus on other academic responsibilities. In the meantime, she thinks this might increase pressure in a different regard.

“I [will] have more time to prepare for my APs...while [having] more stress [put] on me to have to get a higher grade at school and get a better score on APs...but the good thing is that I have [fewer] things I have to study for,” Tao said.