For years, the SAT’s and ACT’s were seen as the most important exams of students’ lives, as they are constantly predicting/deciding if they will get into college. They spend hours a day for months studying and stressing, continuously practicing questions to achieve the perfect 1600 and/or 36. People even pay to take prep classes for a high score. But now, plenty of UCs and CSUs don’t require it, meaning students don’t have to submit these scores at all. Now, this raises a very important question that many students have running through their minds: if your dream school doesn’t require the SAT or ACT, do you even need to study for it?
Off the bat, the answer is obvious: why put the effort of studying for hours for it to be optional? A lot of students are starting to think this way. Without the pressure of having to study for hours on hours, students start to shift their focus more on their grades, extracurriculars, or personal stuff instead. Whether they are focusing on school or on video games, their attention shifts away from the SAT and ACT. For students who have busy schedules, jobs, and more, skipping and not studying for the test is the best thing that can happen for them.
However, if you really think about it, it’s not simple. Granted, it’s optional and your dream school may not need it. It’s highly recommended to submit your score because not only will it strengthen one’s application, but it also helps students stand out from other applicants, especially in competitive schools.
Tong Saralamba explains her personal experience with the SAT, “The University of Thailand I’m interested in needs a 1200 minimum to apply, and every student in Thailand is scoring in the 1500s, so it’s really competitive. If you get high 1500s, some universities in Australia give you scholarships as well.” It may even help you get accepted or get scholarships. If you were to not care and get a bad score, it can actually do worse than help, which is why students don’t submit it.
An issue that is common upon the SAT or ACT is the motivation to study. It takes time to study and that’s where most of us students lack. Paola Rodriguez shares her motivation to study for the SAT, “At first I was too tired to study after school days but what really motivated me was wanting to achieve my career. I practiced as little as watching YouTube and TikTok videos to taking lots of practice exams because colleges I want to apply to require the score.”
When something is required, students will likely take it more seriously. However, as the SAT or ACT isn’t required in some schools, students don’t seem to be taking it seriously. We are now questioning, are students ignoring it because their dream school doesn’t require it or because they don’t find the energy and motivation to study? This answer depends on the person.
Overall, the SAT or ACT are not as powerful as they were, but they aren’t completely ignored either. Whether students should or shouldn’t study for them depends on their goal, their school they’re applying to, and how much the test will help them. However, it is recommended to strive for a high score to be able to gain all the benefits instead of missing all the opportunities you may have been able to gain.
