Colleges Are Bringing Back the SAT and ACT. Here's What the New Digital SAT Misses.
A few years ago, it looked like the SAT and ACT were on their way out. During the pandemic, hundreds of colleges went test-optional, and many families assumed standardized tests would never matter again.
That has changed. A growing list of colleges, including some of the most selective in the country, now require SAT or ACT scores again. Here's why, and why I have concerns about how well the new digital SAT measures what students actually know.
Why colleges are bringing the SAT and ACT back
Schools that have reinstated testing requirements include MIT, Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, Harvard, Stanford, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, and Princeton (starting with the 2027–28 cycle), along with large public universities such as Ohio State, Auburn, the University of Alabama, and LSU.
Their reasons are surprisingly consistent:
Scores predict college success. A study by Dartmouth economists found that test scores predicted how students would perform in college better than high school grades, essays, or teacher recommendations.
Grades alone don't tell the whole story. With grading standards varying widely from school to school, a common measure helps admissions offices compare applicants fairly.
Test-optional didn't always help the students it was meant to help. The same research found that many lower-income students withheld scores that would actually have strengthened their applications. Harvard said test scores are valuable for identifying talent from across the socioeconomic range.
A problem with the new digital SAT
Bringing tests back is a step in the right direction, but there is a problem with the new SAT as well.
Since the SAT went digital, students take it in the College Board's Bluebook app, which has a built-in Desmos graphing calculator available for the entire math section. The old SAT had a no-calculator section. The new one does not.
Desmos is a powerful tool, and that's exactly the issue. Students can still perform well without fully understanding the underlying concepts simply by mastering the use of the Desmos graphing calculator. Many questions can be solved by typing in equations and reading the graph, with no real understanding of the algebra behind them. A strong score may show that a student knows how to use the tool, not that they understand the math.
That gap shows up later, in college math courses where the shortcuts no longer work.
What this means for your child
With more colleges requiring scores again, the SAT matters more than it has in years. But the goal shouldn't be learning calculator shortcuts to get through test day. Students who truly understand algebra, functions, and problem solving don't need to depend on Desmos, and they're the ones who succeed once they reach college math.
At Math Accelerator, our SAT preparation focuses on real understanding first. We find and fix the gaps in a student's foundation, then build test strategy on top of it. That approach has helped hundreds of students over the past 13+ years.
If Your Child Is Preparing for the SAT
Whether your child is just starting to think about the SAT or is already taking practice tests, it's worth knowing whether their score reflects real understanding or just calculator skills. The earlier the gaps are found, the more time there is to close them.
An assessment with Math Accelerator shows exactly where your child stands, from foundational skills to SAT readiness, so you know where to start.
Book an assessment with Math Accelerator: call (856) 242-9128.
Comments