The College Board announced it plans to no longer keep the optional essay portion of the SAT college entrance exam, as well as discontinue its SAT subject tests. This comes at a time of desperation as many universities have begun no longer requiring students to submit SAT test scores through applications. In the past six months, about 500 schools have announced they were waiving standardized test scores from their admissions process, according to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing.
Beginning this summer, the College Board will no longer automatically include the essay portion of the test and only offer the section in states where it’s required for SAT school day administrations.
The Board also said it planned to continue working toward developing an online version of the SAT but is yet to specify a release date.
They also announced it would discontinue offering its SAT subject tests. Out of over 20 subject tests, these were used to help strengthen a college application. More information is expected to be released in the following months.