For juniors, they probably know of the significance of“subject tests” and “SAT supplemental essay” in regards to their college applications. However, starting January 19th, these terms are no longer relevant because College Board has officially declared they will no longer give out SAT subject tests nor the supplemental essays.

This is due to the current circumstances that students are in and College Board has done this in an effort to ” reduce demands on students”.

Subject tests that are scheduled for students will be completely refunded and cancelled. But what about the students that took the subject tests already? College Board stated that they have notified their member colleges and that it is the schools’ decisions whether or not they would like to consider their applicants’ subject tests when reviewing their application.

For the students that have previously decided they would like to do the SAT essay, the supplemental essay will still be available until June 2021. College Board expressed that they do not know if colleges will consider the supplemental essay in college applications and that they should contact or check college websites for statements.

Furthermore, because they have eliminated these tests,  colleges are placing a greater emphasis on the AP exams that many juniors and some sophomores will be taking in May. College Board stated that “[T]he expanded reach of AP and its widespread availability means the Subject Tests are no longer necessary for students to show what they know.”

I personally am really glad to hear this news as I am a junior and was planning to take the Biology and Math 2C subject tests. It takes off a huge amount of stress that already comes with applying to colleges and I feel relieved that I can focus on my AP exams instead.

Celine Kim expresses the same sentiments: “I feel that College Board is taking a step in the right direction, as many students in the past have had to needlessly stress over the excessive amount of standardized testing they have to go through in order to appear competitive for good colleges. This decision is definitely a step in the right direction, though I do hope that further actions are taken do simplify the college applying process.”