In an effort to achieve the highest score possible, Jack Beneigh, a senior at Butler Area Senior High School, took the SAT test three times, even though he didn’t need to take it at all to get into his school of choice.

Bucknell University, his pick for post-secondary education, waived its SAT requirement for applicants due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Jack said he believes his score played a role in his acceptance.

“With it being optional, I feel like it's just another factor that can help you if you score really well on it,” Jack said. “I have taken a lot of advanced classes, but at the school I'm going to everyone has. A really good score could set me apart from the other students, so that was part of my drive.”

He attends Bucknell in the fall to study engineering.

Shannon McGraw, a counselor at Butler Area Senior High School, said the number of students opting to take the SAT is surprising, considering that many colleges have waived the requirement.

The high school serves as a testing center for the SAT several times a year, but also offers a PSAT session in October. McGraw encourages juniors to take the latter in preparation for the SAT.

She said students have responded eagerly when told the SAT has been waived widely by colleges.

“The college applications, especially the prestigious ones, have waived the requirement; we're telling kids to apply early,” McGraw said. “Now that tests are optional, I feel like more kids are taking the SAT because the pressure is somewhat off.”

Connie Kilcoin, of Karns City Junior/Senior High School, said the school offers an SAT prep class when at least eight students sign up to take it in a semester.

As an SAT prep instructor, Kilcoin said there has been a drop in participation in the class lately.

“A lot of times (students) come to me if they are having a hard time,” Kilcoin said. “With the advent of technology and there being more ways for them to practice, that might be part of why we're not seeing as many here.”

Mars Area High School began offering a prep class last year, according to Mark Varlotta, SAT coordinator at the school.

Varlotta said that for years students and parents had asked the school district to add the class. It started off as a popular class, despite colleges waiving SAT submissions.

“We have about 50 kids in a one-semester course,” he said. “They can get at it pretty much when they want; ninth through 11th grade students can take it.”

Susan Miller, assistant superintendent of Slippery Rock Area School District, said every student takes the PSAT to be eligible for the National Merit Scholarship program. Slippery Rock Area High School is not a testing site for the SAT, but Miller said, anecdotally, fewer students have signed up for the test during the past two years.

“Possible reasons include students who are delaying the start of college, taking the ACT instead of the SAT, or transitioning to a community or work-based program that doesn't require the SAT,” Miller said.

Moniteau School District superintendent Aubrie Schnelle said the district’s high school is a testing site, but there is no preparation course offered.

From August 2019 to March 2020, 39 students at Moniteau took the SAT, 60 students took it from September 2020 to June 2021 and 19 students took it from August 2021 to March 2022, according to Schnelle.

Brenda Knoll, principal of Karns City Junior/Senior High School, said in the 2017-18 school year, there were 124 SATs taken, 80 in the 2018-19 school year and 41 in the 2020-21 school year.

Conversely, the number of students at the high school enrolling at Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School has risen.

“In the past three or four years there has been an increase; trade demand is going up,” Knoll said. “I think we'll continue to see that trend.”

Varlotta also said he has seen fewer students take the SAT since the requirements were waived. However, he said that number likely will recover in coming years.

“Certainly, this year and last year, they are probably down maybe 10% to 20% for kids taking the exam itself,” Varlotta said. “I don't know if the test prep course is going to drive up numbers. I think it's going to be the policies of colleges. I don't see that sticking long-term. It's just another data point, especially for high-demand schools.”

Slippery Rock University is waiving the SAT for admissions through fall 2023.

Michael May, director of first-year admissions at SRU, said access to testing is what led to the university’s decision.

“The reason for that is because during the pandemic there was inequality with access to testing centers,” May said. “We wanted to make sure there was no one disadvantaged.”

McGraw said it costs $58 to sign up to take the essay-free version of the SAT, and a late fee is an extra $30. While the test cost could be a barrier to students who want to take it, McGraw said counseling staff can apply for a fee waiver that allows students to take the test for free.

“Where almost half of our kids are on free and reduced lunches, we encourage them to do the fee waiver,” she said. “All they (need to) do is come in and tell us they meet the criteria for free and reduced lunch, and we apply for them. Even if they sign up late, they don't pay the late fee.”

McGraw said counselors also can apply for fee waivers for students when they submit their college applications.

Aside from the cost of the test, the coronavirus pandemic forced some tests to be canceled, especially early in 2020.

Jack said he took the test in 2020 and in 2021, with only one of the dates being pushed back because of pandemic restrictions. He said the test seemed to be administered in a normal way, but the proctors used more classrooms so they could space out students.

According to May, people applying to SRU who had been out of high school for two or more years were already exempt from submitting their SAT scores for admission at SRU. Students applying directly from high school are now evaluated in a similar manner to those students.

May also said SRU admits about 75% of applicants, and foregoing applicants’ SAT scores has streamlined the review process but also made it more difficult for students to find the right fit “from an academic and social perspective.”

“If we look at our prospective student, it's more difficult to find the right college fit because there is one less data point,” he said. “A student with a 4.0 and a certain score would be looking at one school, and a student with the same GPA and 900 (score) could be looking at another school.”

Jack said he spent about 20 hours studying and preparing for the SAT. He said despite being optional, the test may have helped prepare him for college.

“To be honest, I have never been that good at studying,” Jack said. “I was chasing a score, and I ended up super scoring.”

May said the admissions office can use applicants’ math SAT scores for placement in college classes, so he has been recommending people send them if available.

He thinks the SAT testing rate will rise once colleges begin requiring score submissions again, in part because the SAT is somewhat of a preview of college tests.

“Students need to be academically prepared for the school they choose,” May said. “They are going to be in class daily, taking tests in the classroom, so there is no better predictor than their school career and tests.”

Varlotta, too, said he thinks students who want to go to college will follow the application requirements of the school they want to go to. If an SAT score is on that list of requirements, students once again will take the SAT in larger numbers.

“Maybe the numbers will stay down for a couple years, but things might change at a higher education level,” Varlotta said. “I think it's going to be the policies of colleges.”