Spring is here, and juniors are preparing to take the SAT – but the test’s importance is more debated than ever. While many colleges have gone test-optional, some top and highly competitive institutions are beginning to require standardized test scores again, making the SAT difficult for students to ignore.

“I don’t think they’re that important,” Alexander Guerrero (12) said. “A lot of colleges focus more on GPA and essays now, and many schools are test-optional.”

As SAT scores have become less central at many schools, students say the focus has shifted toward grades and overall academic performance.

“School has become more about grades than actual learning,” Kyler Jiho (11) said. “It feels like it’s about producing results, not really teaching us.”

At the same time, some students argue that success on the SAT often depends less on what you know and more on how much time and money you can invest in preparation. Many feel that doing well requires months of studying or access to expensive tutors who teach test-taking strategies, rather than measuring actual understanding.

Because of this, some high-achieving students don’t feel pressure to take the SAT seriously.

“I know people with 3.8 or 4.0 GPAs who didn’t care about their SAT at all,” Guerrero said. “They had already gotten into college, so it didn’t matter to them.”

Others say their own experiences show that SAT scores aren’t always necessary.

“In my experience, it didn’t matter,” Briana Cabral Figueroa (12) said. “I got into my first-choice college because of my dedication, not my SAT score.”

However, the SAT still plays a role for students aiming at more selective schools. As institutions such as Harvard University, Yale University, Brown University, and Dartmouth College move back toward requiring standardized test scores, strong SAT results can help applicants stand out in increasingly competitive admissions processes. Even at schools that remain test-optional, many students believe that submitting high scores can still strengthen an application, suggesting the SAT continues to carry weight in admissions decisions.

Even so, some students believe the test should be improved rather than emphasized.

“I think it should be more of a basic test on what we actually learn in school, like math and English,” Guerrero said.

For now, opinions remain divided. While some students see the SAT as unnecessary, others recognize that it can still matter – especially at competitive institutions.

“Just be confident,” Guerrero said. “If you studied, trust yourself. And if not, you’ve already learned these things over the years.”