Around two weeks ago, The College Board announced the cancellation of the June SAT, which was supposed to be administered on June 6, 2020. The March SAT was also canceled earlier this year due to social distancing guidelines and the outbreak of COVID-19. The ACT canceled their April test and it is unknown if their June test will be canceled as well.

Because students are unable to take standardized tests, many colleges and universities across the country have made standardized tests optional. Northeastern, Cornell, Tulane, and Boston College are some of the notable institutions that are no longer requiring the submission of a standardized test score. The SAT and ACT have both considered shifting to an online test so students can submit scores, but the College Board has not given further details on online tests. Even if the tests do go online, it is possible that some colleges and universities will not accept those scores. Currently, there are many juniors who have not taken a standardized test, and it would not be fair for colleges to require students to submit scores. In addition, of those who have already taken a test, there are many who are unhappy with their scores and would like to retake the SAT or ACT if presented the opportunity. There has not been much information released on schools being forced to go test-optional but if no more tests are offered this year, it seems like they will be forced to.

The College Board is looking into options to be able to administer tests in the summer or the Fall. One of these options includes administering tests in larger schools, so there could be fewer students in each room to uphold social distancing recommendations. If the test is not able to take place, colleges will shift their focus to other aspects of students’ application including GPA, extracurriculars, application essays, and teacher recommendations.

The cancellation of the SAT has already and could continue to drastically affect the college admissions process.