The heated topic for all the students who aspire to get a good university for their undergraduate right now, is what is up with the SAT subject tests? SAT subject tests came into picture long ago because some universities found it very useful to filter the students who apply to particular programs the universities are found the best in. But gradually, as the years are passing by the weightage of SAT subject tests is decreasing. In post-2017 there were four universities that had SAT subject tests as a requirement namely: Webb Institute, Harvey Mudd College, MIT & Caltech. But since then almost all the universities took down this requirement.
Continue to read this article to know more about SAT subject tests and to know if they are important or not.
Are SAT subject tests losing its impact?
Claire Kaplan, 17, of Potomac, Md., a junior at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, said after taking the tests in math and U.S. history one recent Saturday that she was relieved to be done with her year of standardized testing but found the whole exercise frustrating. “It’s not really an accurate representation of someone’s knowledge,” she said, “but of how much you can pay to get tutored.”- The Washington Post, June 15th, 2018
Now, SAT subject tests have been losing their impact because universities have started to waive off the requirement of taking the SAT subject tests which will, in turn, affect the number of students taking the SAT subject tests.
Waiving off the requirement for SAT subject tests: Good or Bad?
In 2018, “Institutional research at Harvey Mudd reveals that Math 2 is the single best assessment to determine which students will be able to succeed in the Harvey Mudd curriculum. Osgood was clear that Math 2 is the best test available, far more valuable than the math assessed on the SAT or ACT.”- Applerouth.com
Now in the year 2020, Harvey Mudd College waived off the requirement of SAT subject tests just after CalTech dropped out of the list of colleges that require SAT subject tests. Harvey Mudd College and CalTech both dropped out of the list because of some possible similar reasons:
- The universities are now not limiting students to apply and decreasing the cost of the application process by eliminating the requirement of SAT subject scores.
- Taking out the extra cost of time that occurred and encouraging a student to score well in their 9th, 10th, 11th & 12th instead of SAT subject tests.
How to get an admit from the top universities?
Think of your School subject exams (Internal Exam or External Exam) as your Subject Tests & give your best shots there. Additionally, if you are looking for scholarships in the US - don't forget to give the SAT. Now after the continuous deterioration in the interest of SAT subject tests the pool of students that will apply to the top universities will widen and whichever student wishes to send an application to that university can apply without any hesitation.
This deterioration is good because now the field is open to all students who want to apply to that university without spending extra bucks and extra time on getting a decision from the university.
As Thyra Briggs, vice president for admission and financial aid at Harvey Mudd, said, “Our alumni have been transformative leaders since our founding. In order to continue this tradition, it is essential that we make a Harvey Mudd education as accessible as possible”.
