College Board cancels SAT essay section and subject tests permanently
CollegeBoard has launched BigFutureDays, a regional series of virtual college fairs with registration now open for Texas and its regional event on March 30. “Student Search Service is a free voluntary program connecting students with information about educational and financial aid opportunities from eligible colleges, universities, scholarships, and other educational programs,” College and Career Facilitator Leslie Thompson said.
January 25, 2021
Students all over the U.S. can finally let go of any worries they may have had over the SAT Essay section or the SAT subject tests as the College Board decided on Jan. 19 to get rid of both options permanently.
Most colleges were already dropping their requirements on taking the Essay portion on the SAT or selective SAT subject tests, and due to this trend, the College Board aimed to “reduce and simplify demands on students”.
“This decision recognizes that there are other ways for students to demonstrate their mastery of essay writing,” the College Board said in a news release. “At the same time, writing remains essential to college readiness, and the SAT will continue to measure writing and editing skills.”
The cancellation of the essay is a big relief to sophomore Pratham Shah, as he wasn’t sure of his ability to perform well on the essay portion.
“I believe that it was a great move because before I was really unsure on how really I was supposed to outline my thoughts regarding the test and its format,” Shah said. “But now, with the only focus on the actual test, it’ll help me study much better and efficiently especially given the current circumstances”
According to The College Board, if someone has already bought his/her exams for the months of March through June of 2021, they will be allowed to cancel the exams free of charge. If a person has already taken the test/tests, he/she is given the freedom to choose whether or not to submit their scores to their preferred colleges, but it is no longer a requirement to do so.
The move by the College Board is welcome to some, but junior Meghana Manwadkar feels differently, as she believed her essay writing skills could’ve helped boost her score.
“I was a little disappointed because I was planning to take both of them and I felt like the essay and subject tests can really help to differentiate students/ bring spice to the resume,” Manwadkar said. “At the same time I’m also relieved because both of them are hard so now that they are canceled I won’t have to take it/ others also won’t.”
Joan Harris • Jan 26, 2021 at 10:26 am
We as a country continue to water down our educational system as well as requirements. This is why the US cannot compete with many other countries. It’s sad and disgraceful.