Back in 2014, the College Board announced that they would be making significant revisions to the iconic SAT. Ever since that announcement, current high school juniors have been put between a rock and a hard place. They must choose between taking the old and new SAT, a decision which has the potential to have incredible ramifications on the life of a student. The new SAT testing begins in March, and with the very last old SAT being given at the end of this month, students need to make up their minds fast.

“I still don’t know if I should take the old SAT or the new one,” said junior Joseph Chromey. “I just feel so rushed.”

To add to the confusion, colleges have been unclear when it comes to which test students should be taking this year.  

“It seems like every college has said something different about the tests,” junior Ian Schurr said. “I don’t know which test is preferred.”

Many juniors have been voicing their opinions about the predicament they’ve been placed in.

“It’s really unfair how the College Board is using students in our grade as lab rats for their new test,” junior Saad Yousuf said. “There shouldn’t be some magical ‘cut off’ date when they just stop giving us the old SAT.”

However, the College Board has defended their decision to alter the test. They claim that the new test is an upgrade for students in a variety of ways, especially in the now optional writing section, where they have shifted the focus of the essay from writing about personal experience to analytical skills.
Fortunately, not all juniors need to worry about the SAT. The ACT remains unchanged from its previous state, and it still looks just as good as the SAT does on most college applications. The ACT serves as a fine alternative to the SAT, and it should not be overlooked.