These are incredibly uncertain times. For students in particular, it might be difficult to get through knowing that the four years of high school you had pictured your whole life are altered and that the prospect of college hangs in the balance, too. But even as the world around us is changing and simultaneously pausing before our eyes, we strongly recommend avoiding the tendency to rest on your laurels. A lot of parents are wondering whether or not it’s worth their sophomores and rising juniors to study for SATs and ACTs in the fall. After all, we don’t know if they’re going to happen as planned. We recommend students stay the course. Here’s why:
Be Prepared
Even though it seems like everything is upended (because it is) there will come a time when normalcy resumes and you don’t want to be the one who wasn’t ready. Some parents say, “yeah, but aren’t a lot of schools test optional now?” We know this is a tough time for parents, too. We’re sure the last thing anyone wants to do is bug their kid to study when you can’t prove to them there is an imminent test to study for. However, the test-optional movement is still limited. There may come a time where test-optional is a prevailing practice. And as more and more schools acknowledge the burden on students from varying income-levels and backgrounds, the pandemic could, in fact, accelerate that trend. But for now, the test-optional category is really just reserved for a slew of liberal arts schools. Even if you’re dead-set on Bowdoin or Smith (both great test-optional schools), you need to have other options for universities. Furthermore, kids who want to apply to academically competitive schools that are not yet test-optional need to study for exams for the fall.
It Couldn’t Hurt
This advice is nothing new from us. We’ve been telling kids forever that they should study for the SAT IIs even if they’re unsure they will take them in the end. It’s better to have the option and decide not to use it than to wish you had. Besides, kids have time on their hands right now. While we are all hoping some kind of normalcy and activities will resume in the summer, the odds are, camps, internships, classes, and jobs will be slow to start. Kids really need structure, now more than ever. Studying for standardized tests is a good way to make sure they are staying mentally stimulated and disciplined. The best place to start is to take a practice test of each one (the ACT and the SAT) and see which one is better for them, then get to practice from there.
Need help staying on track amidst the uncertainty? Reach out to us. We’re great at helping students map out and stick to a plan that works.