College entrance exams, which in recent years were typically not required as part of a student’s application, are now mandatory again at many colleges, including some of the most prestigious in the country.
The requirement has some area students feeling the pressure to achieve scores that will bolster their applications.
Christian Lee, a senior at Santa Teresa High School in San Jose, took the SAT in preparation for his college applications this year.
“It was during a really busy season for me, so I was super stressed out doing it.” Lee said.
Many colleges switched to policies that were test-optional or “test-blind” (meaning they didn’t consider scores even when they were submitted) during the height of the COVID pandemic, when testing sessions were restricted or cancelled. But now, with colleges citing a need for objective standards to judge applicants’ readiness, the trend is reversing.
For the 2026-2027 admissions cycle, Yale has brought back the standardized testing requirement for all applicants. Many other schools, including Stanford, have already begun requiring test scores. Columbia will begin requiring standardized testing beginning next August, becoming the last Ivy League school to do so.
Many colleges, such as those in the University of California system and California State University systems, still don’t require them, although UC is reconsidering the issue.
“I like that they don’t require tests, because honestly I feel like it takes something off my plate,” Lee said. “I feel like just in general, it relieves a lot of stress for people to not have to worry about the SAT.”
Some applicants don’t have that option. “I know a lot of top schools require SAT scores,” said Wilfredo Maldonado, a junior at Del Mar High School in San Jose. “If I really want to have a shot at applying for those schools, I’m going to have to (get) a tutor.”
Maldonado has taken the Preliminary SAT once, a practice test that is not required for submission by colleges. He intends to take some form of standardized testing multiple times, depending on his score outcomes as he progresses through his junior year.
“If I get a low score, I know I’m definitely going to take it maybe twice more,” Maldonado said.
He added that he doesn’t necessarily think that the SAT “actually shows intelligence. I think it shows maybe a brief understanding of the basics. It’s also timed so you have to know the time crunch. You have to know how to balance out your time.”
Both the SAT and ACT tests take about two hours. The registration fee is about $70.
Bari Sholomon, a counselor in the Campbell Union High School District, acknowledged the stress students experience in the application process. “I think that college applications and college admissions are stressful no matter what,” she said. “Adding testing to the mix probably adds (another) measure of stress.”
Sholomon characterized the standardized testing as an “apples-to-apples” indicator, a way for colleges to gauge how applicants perform on the same test. But she added that it’s not the only measure of a quality application. “I think there are plenty of other things that can point to a student being proficient academically in college,” she said.
Eliana Aguilar is a member of the class of 2027 at Valley Christian High School in San Jose.
Editor’s note: This story is part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Program for Bay Area high school students, an intensive course in journalism. Students in the program report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.