College Board has finally made high school students smile with its announcement, just last week, that there will be fewer hoops for students to jump through on their path to higher education.
Effective immediately, Subject Tests, also known as SAT II exams, will no longer be administered. These one-hour long multiple-choice tests were offered in Math, Literature, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, U.S. and Word History, and a gamut of foreign languages. They were recommended by admissions officers at Ivy League and other highly competitive schools, such as Georgetown University.
College Board now says that the proliferation of AP exams in recent years makes Subject Tests unnecessary. College Board writes the syllabus for Advanced Placement (college level) courses, and the exams that culminate the school year. Students can distinguish themselves to college admissions officers, and simultaneously earn college credits, by earning high scores on these tests that typically run up to three hours in length.
Students who have already registered to take a Subject Test in the spring will automatically have their registrations cancelled and their fees refunded, according to College Board. Those who have tested in the past should check with the colleges on their list to find out whether or not prior Subject Test scores will be considered as part of their application.
In addition, College Board announced that the June 5th SAT exam will be the last time students will be offered the optional essay at a Saturday testing. After that date, the essay will be available only in states (such as Delaware and Oklahoma) that use the SAT for school accountability measurement and offer the test during the school day.
According to The Washington Post, about 1.2 million students in the Class of 2020 wrote the optional SAT essay –- more than half of all those who took the exam.
As for the regular SAT exam, it will continue to be offered in March, May, June, August, October, November and December. Students can take the test as many times as they like and ultimately submit their highest scores when the time rolls around (in the fall of senior year) to file college applications.
Susan Alaimo is the founder of Collegebound Review. For the past 25 years, Collegebound Review's Ivy League educated tutors have prepared students for the PSAT®, SAT®, ACT®, Subject Tests®, AP courses, and all high school subjects. Visit www.CollegeboundReview.com or call 908-369-5362
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