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Standardized Testing Updates

By

Brian Smith
  • The College Board recently announced that they are ending both SAT Subject Tests and the SAT Essay, effective immediately. Students in the US will no longer need to take or worry about either. International students can still take the subject tests in May and June, and should do so if they are able and can score highly. 
  • AP Exams will be held in full this year. Schools will attempt to hold them in-person; if they are unable to do so, the College Board will allow the tests to be taken online at home. The elimination of subject testing will likely lead to increased emphasis on AP testing in admissions, so students need to be putting more time and effort into these than ever!
  • College Board has also announced that juniors who were unable to take the PSAT this year will instead be able to submit SAT scores for National Merit consideration.
  • The UC Regents are meeting on Thursday, January 21 to decide on UC’s test admissions policies for next year. They will likely be “test blind” again, but stay tuned!
  • Also stay tuned for further updates from the ACT regarding computer-based testing, section retesting, the optional essay, and superscoring.

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