The outbreak of the Coronavirus has caused serious concerns all over the world. The year 2020 will be one of the worst years in history, as it was the year with a global pandemic, self-quarantines, economic crashes, and cancellation of the SAT.
Do you want to attend your dream university or any universities? Then you must take the Scholastic Aptitude Test, SAT, which is an entrance exam of sorts for colleges and universities. These scores are a requirement for most college applications and are vital in determining admissions.
The test runs approximately 3.5 to 4 hours, with mostly multiple-choice questions and an optional essay at the end. The SAT contains five parts: reading, writing, math without a calculator, math with a calculator, and the optional essay. The test is scored out of 1600 (800 for reading and writing and 800 for math). SAT Subject Tests, also known as SAT II tests, are shorter single-subject tests. These tests measure high school students in a variety of subjects such as Math Level 2, Biology, Language Art, History, and more. Subject tests are multiple-choice questions and run between one to two hours, and scored out of 800.
The Coronavirus or COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease that is spreading all over the world. Coronavirus is a major issue for many students in the United States and other countries. The March 14 and May 2 SAT and Subject tests have been canceled in response to the Coronavirus. Due to the Coronavirus or the COVID-19, the College Board has postponed the tests until it is safe from a public health standpoint. The cancellations mostly affected high school Juniors because they lost some of their last chances to take this exam. According to the College Board, they have announced that the tests will be taken at home if the schools remain closed in the fall. In addition, the administration has made the test available every month starting in August to make up for the cancellation of the March and May test dates..
In response to testing cancellation, many universities have announced that they will be test-optional for the 2021 admissions. Test-optional means that standardized test scores will not be required, and students who do not submit scores will not be penalized in the admissions process. However, other universities like MIT, Harvard, and other prestigious schools states they will still require standardized test scores for admissions.
I’ve been studying the SAT for about one year. I was well prepared for this standardized test, but since the SAT is postponed, I will need to review and prepare for it again. This pandemic could be an advantage and a disadvantage for some students. According to the “Inside Higher Ed'', the percentages show that over 60% to 70% of students are wasting their time due to the pandemic because all school has been canceled and schools are not assigning homework. I personally think that students should not waste this valuable time, but take advantage of the extra time to study for the SAT. There are many different ways to study for the SAT. There are countless workbooks, prep school, academy, and etc. I personally believe that there are no tricks to the SAT exams. I think students should actually spend time: memorizing vocabulary, grammar rules, reading, math formulas, and more. Whether college admissions decide to get rid of standardized tests or not, students should still study for these tests consistently and diligently to become a competitive applicant.