Most Colleges No Longer Require SAT Subject Tests

Even college admission tests can fall in and out of style.

That's what's happening to the SAT Subject Tests. A recent review of admissions policies by the National Center for Fair and Open Testing (FairTest) found that less than a dozen U.S. colleges and universities now require applicants to submit results from SAT Subject Tests. And the number continues to shrink.

In the last year alone, Amherst, Barnard, Columbia, Dartmouth Duke, Haverford, Vassar and Williams stopped asking students for these exam results.

Previously, the SAT Subject Tests, also called SAT II exams or “Achievement Tests,” were a part of the process at the nation’s most competitive schools, but many educational experts have come to see the tests as less than useful. According to Bob Schaeffer, director of FairTest, a test-optional open admissions movement, most schools consider the tests to be "standardized exam overkill."

“Requiring them excluded many otherwise qualified applicants,” said Schaeffer. “Schools also found that the tests did not significantly help forecast college performance.”

The hour-long exams each covering a single topic, such as chemistry, world history, or Spanish. are entirely multiple-choice, so they may not be indicative of school performance.

“Independent research shows that high school grades are the best predictors of undergraduate success,” said Schaeffer. “The SAT Subject Tests, like other entrance exams, are simply not needed.”

Most local schools do not require the SAT Subject Tests as part of their admission process. Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York will accept and consider a variety of tests but does not necessarily require them.

"As a test optional institution, we only consider scores when students decide to share them with us. If students feel that a standardized test score--whether SAT, ACT, or SAT II-- shows their
preparedness for a rigorous college curriculum, we will include it in our review," said Kevin McKenna, Dean of Admissions. "But we also leave open the possibility for students to show that through transcripts, examples of analytic writing, and other pieces as well. There are plenty of options for students to share their strengths with us, and that includes scores they might be proud of. But because we want to discourage excessive
time spent on testing and test prep, we also allow the option to not include scores at all."

Some area schools have never required SAT Subject Tests.

"Purchase has never required SAT Subject Tests for admissions,” said Stephanie McCaine, director of admissions at Purchase College in Harrison. “As a SUNY school, a large proportion of our applicants are NY state residents who also are required to take Regents exams so in some ways the Subject Tests can be regarded as redundant. Although better aligned with what students learn in school, like the SAT, students who perform well on (or even take) the Subject Tests are in strong high school programs and tend to have higher socioeconomic backgrounds. As a school that often relies on talent assessments and is committed not only to a holistic review process but also diversity, the subject tests are not especially appealing. We are currently very seriously considering going test optional."

SUNY New Paltz does not require the tests either. Nor do local community colleges use it.

Patrick Hennessey, a spokesperson for Westchester Community College describes the school as an “open access school.” “We do not require test scores,” he said.

Katherine Lynch, an admissions officer at SUNY Rockland, says students don’t need SAT II scores to apply there either.

“RCC does not require SAT II scores,” said Lynch. “The Honors Program strongly encourages students to submit standardized test scores (ACT or SAT) but no subject test is required.”

Due to the move away from SAT Subject Test requirements, the number of students taking the exams has dramatically declined. In the high school class of 2011, 312,228 students took the exams. The number plunged to 241,329 for 2015 grads.

Only one in seven 2015 high school graduates who took the main SAT exam also registered for any Subject Tests. Meanwhile, registration for the ACT, which many schools accept in place of both the SAT and Subject Tests, increased 23 percent over the five-year period to 1,924,436 million in 2015.

As the number of schools requiring the tests shrinks, the College Board, which produces the tests, is losing money. The cost of taking the test is $26 to register plus $20 for each subject. Surcharges for overseas students can double their payments. There are also extra fees for score reports and other services. FairTest estimates that the decline of more than 200,000 test takers has reduced College Board revenues by more than $6 million a year.