The SAT test has always been a critical part of the college application process.

College Board reports show more than 406,000 New Yorkers took an SAT or pre-SAT throughout the 2016-2017 academic school year. That number grew to more than 409,000 in 2018, and nearly 413,000 in 2019.

However, many of those exams were waived, postponed or even canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic. That is currently the case in the SUNY system where SAT and ACT testing for admission to campuses that grant bachelor's degrees are suspended for the spring 2023, fall 2023 and spring 2024 terms. 

Some colleges are now adapting to a decline in enrollment by becoming temporarily test optional. Columbia University is even the first Ivy League school to make the switch permanent.

As more students now have the option to forego testing, one local student says it's even more important now to make sure his test score makes the cut.

“I think definitely after this class is finished, I will definitely feel prepared for this SAT," said high school junior Remi Okeefe.

For many students like Okeefe, standardized testing is a big part of preparing for the next steps of their futures.

“Right now, I'm learning how to take this SAT and eliminate answers, and basically how to pick the right answer out of four options," Okeefe said.

He’s getting extra help preparing to take his SAT. Okeefe says learning to prepare for these tests can be a difficult process to get back into.

“I think the studying is the most difficult part and the homework every night, going home and trying to figure out difficult problems and spending hours upon hours to figure out one problem just to get ready for the test," said Okeefe.

That’s one of the reasons more and more colleges are giving prospective students like him the option to submit their SAT and ACT scores.

“Test optional, especially among some of your more competitive colleges like Columbia, is setting an interesting trend," said Susan Stern, director of Sylvan Learning. "The thing is, colleges that are test optional are not test blind.”

Sylvan is a tutoring service that has seen an uptick in business as tests have been making a comeback. Stern says test scores can allow students like Okeefe to get a leg up on college applications.

“The SAT and ACT can really be that kind of tipping point that helps show colleges that maybe you didn’t make some great decisions back in ninth grade, or COVID impacted your ability to learn, but you still have the potential," Stern said.

According to Stern, submitting test scores, even if it’s just an option, can eliminate any doubts that students like Okeefe are well-rounded college candidates.

“After I graduate high school, I would like to attend either Maryland or Virginia Tech and study engineering," said Okeefe. "Colleges I want to apply to if I do not submit my test, I go into a smaller pool of students, and if I do submit my test, I have a higher chance of being accepted into the college.”

Each student will have to weigh their options to try to reach their goals.

“Increasing your score can help you get into the college of your dreams, but also it can help give kids opportunities for scholarship, and that’s really important today, too," Stern said. "Not only is college more competitive than ever, it’s [also] more expensive than ever.”

For Okeefe, the decision to take the SAT was an easy one.

“That worry is in the back of my mind right now," he said.