Does My Teen Have to Take the SAT and/or the ACT?

The New SAT Makes Preparation Much Harder
The SAT was totally overhauled in 2016, and there are a limited number of preparation resources available for students. Although the test-prep industry is fairly well-established, it has still been charged with totally revamping all of the test-prep materials for this “new” test.

To make matters more confusing, teachers and tutors will also have to modify their approaches to account for the changes. Because the SAT is a competition that requires extensive preparation and strategy, these changes have made studying for the test even more difficult.

Fewer Schools are Requiring SAT or ACT Scores
Many schools still require that applicants submit SAT scores, despite the rising evidence that they are a poor indicator of achievement. There are, however, many forward-thinking schools that no longer use the SAT in their admissions process, especially for transfer students. And more and more students are opting to be just that – transfer students, first completing one to two years at a local junior college before transferring into a four year school.

Does My Teen Have to Take the SAT or ACT?
When it comes to applying for college, students have more and more options available to them. While many colleges still require SAT scores for admission, it is certainly not a necessity in order to successfully complete a degree program. Be sure to do your research ahead of time, and you will find that standardized test scores are simply one option on your child’s path toward higher education.

Three of our older kids took the SAT when they were in high school because I thought it was a necessity. I soon learned that it wasn’t necessary at all since they each chose a non-traditional path to college (earning degrees using primarily credit-by-exam or choosing to be a transfer student). Even our daughter that took the most traditional path to her degree didn’t need the SAT – she has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and completed all her prerequisites at a junior college before transferring into a private four-year school’s nursing program. This was a real benefit to her for several reasons: she didn’t have to spend any time preparing for the SAT itself (learning strategies, etc.), she wasn’t concerned about test anxiety and the reality of how that would affect her performance, she saved thousands of dollars by doing her pre-course work at the junior college before transferring, and she saved over a year of time because she began her college core courses during high school and had them completed before transferring.

So choosing to be a transfer student is a real advantage. Yes, you won’t be eligible for freshman scholarships, but it means that you don’t need them! School enters the affordable range when core courses have been completed during high school and you’re transferring in with the first two years completed. SAT and ACT study combined with scholarship searches and applications are the two biggest time drainers of the high school years (for parents AND students!). And both can be avoided.

Three of the colleges that we recommend to our students—Charter Oak State College, Excelsior College, and Thomas Edison State College—do not require the SAT or the ACT for admission and also accept the 51 college credits that Dual Credit at Home helps students earn. Visit our About page to learn how Dual Credit at Home can save your student years of time and thousands of dollars on their college degree.