Princeton Brings Back Standardized Tests

On Thursday, October 9, Princeton University announced that it is returning to standardized testing (SAT and ACT) for the 2027-28 admissions cycle. Many top universities had waived off test score requirements during the covid pandemic due to logistical issues – most of them have now brought back testing. Dartmouth (Feb 2024), Brown University (Mar 2024), Harvard (April 2024), Cornell (April 2024), University of Pennsylvania (Feb 2025) and now Princeton have reinstated standardized tests as a part of their admissions process.

Universities have cited two reasons for reinstating standardized testing. First, test scores are a good predictor of college and post-college success of students. Second, in absence of test scores, admissions officers placed a greater weight on other aspects of a student’s application – which frequently places students from lower socio-economic backgrounds at a disadvantage.

From a student’s perspective, this means SAT (or ACT) is again an essential part of your application – and you will have to understand and prepare for the test.

The SAT is divided into two sections – English and Math. The English section has two modules of 27 questions each, and each section has to be completed in 32 minutes. The Math section has two modules of 22 questions, which have to be completed in 35 minutes each. All 54 English questions are multiple choice questions; most of the math questions are multiple choice, but some of them also require you to type in the answer.

The test gives you about 75 seconds for each English question, and 90 seconds for each Math question. Therefore, in addition to conceptual knowledge, time management is an important skill if you wish to ace the SAT. Often, students spend extra time on the first few questions, and run out of time near the end of the test. Taking multiple mock tests, and improving your speed is as important as studying the topics and concepts.

The other aspect to know about SAT is that it is an adaptive test – depending on how well you perform in the first section, Section II can be tougher/easier. If you are aiming for a high score (1500+), you will have to ace both the sections. Certain topics, such as Command of Evidence and Inference in English, and Statistics and Problem Solving in Math, often trip up even well-prepared students. You need to identify your weaknesses, and get more practice on those topics. Solving more questions will improve your conceptual understanding, and your speed will also improve over time.

Based on your strengths, you also need to have a personalized strategy for SAT. For instance, in Math, you may choose to leave one or two difficult/time-consuming questions un-attempted, complete the section and then come back to these. Likewise, in the English section, many students choose to attempt grammar and punctuation questions before comprehension questions.

In my experience, 12-15 weeks is sufficient time to prepare for the SAT, if underlying conceptual knowledge is sound. Depending on their starting point, students may need more or less time. A good way to start your preparation is to figure out where you stand – appear for a mock test. This will give you a feel for the test – the kind of questions to expect, as well as time management. We at EZ Scholar offer a complimentary mock test for interested students, along with detailed diagnostics on time management, performance by topic, and areas of improvement.  Click here to register for a free test and review session.

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