<p>I wouldn’t rush to make big changes in how you prepare for the college admissions process just yet. The SAT and ACT will continue to be prominent for some time. Most colleges still require them for this year’s applicants; most probably still will require them for next year’s applicants as well. A few more schools may go SAT/ACT-optional as early as next year, but kids will continue to take these tests in large numbers because they’ll still be required at many schools, and high scores will still be a big plus in their admissions files even at SAT/ACT-optional schools. Bowdoin has been SAT/ACT-optional for roughly 30 years, but I recently heard a Bowdoin admissions officer say that about 80% of their applicants still submit SAT scores. Those who don’t probably have lower scores, but as the admissions officer explained, not submitting test scores just puts greater weight on the other parts of your application, which need to be commensurately stronger to remain competitive. (About 20% of Bowdoin’s acceptances are non-SAT applicants, so the ratios are comparable in the end).</p>
<p>I do think this recommendation portends more emphasis on SAT II subject tests, but that could have its own distorting effects if HS classes become more geared toward “teaching to the test.” To some extent this happens already in AP classes, which are geared to the AP tests. In some areas like math that’s probably fine. But in areas like US history or world history it probably pushes in the direction of breadth of coverage and memorization of a large number of basic facts, rather than more in-depth coverage of particular periods or particular aspects of historical inquiry, or unconventional interpretations of the historical record–an unfortunate “dumbing down” and mechanical standardization of the curriculum, IMO.</p>