Los Altos High School will be administering an on-campus SAT exam for upperclassmen on Tuesday, April 27, following a wave of SAT cancellations over the past year. Testing will look quite similar to how juniors took the optional Preliminary SAT (PSAT) on Tuesday, January 26, according to Assistant Principal Galen Rosenberg. However, protocols will likely be “somewhat less restrictive,” following Santa Clara County’s move into the orange tier on Wednesday, March 24.

“I personally feel safe about the protocols we’ll have in place to do the testing, so I’m not worried about that,” Rosenberg said. “I would assume that, unless something dramatic happens at the county level with the color-coding standard, we’ll be able to do this safely.”

There have been no reported COVID-19 infections directly tied to the PSAT event.

If students wish to register for the exam, they will have until Friday, April 9, to do so. It is unclear right now if there will be a limit to how many students can sign up, but Rosenberg noted that they were comfortably able to accommodate the 238 juniors who took the PSAT.

All students who register are signed up for the essay portion of the SAT. If students wish to opt out, there will be instructions during the testing session as to how to indicate if they do not want to stay for the essay. In either case, the price will remain the same for students.

Juniors were given first priority to register for the SAT until yesterday, and seniors may now register as space allows. Freshmen, sophomores and students from other high schools will not be allowed to take the exam.

For many students, this news is reassuring after a prolonged period of canceled SAT tests registrations, guaranteeing an accessible and fixed exam location.

“It’s really relieving for me because I’m not going on a roadtrip to get my tests done,” junior Arthur Zhou said. “I started registering last year in August, and I was practicing and practicing during this whole time, and over half the school year has passed by now.”

Some students have been able to take the ACT this school year at pop-up testing sites, such as hotels and conference centers. In years past, Mountain View High School would have served as an on-site testing center, but at this point, it is unclear whether MVHS will be hosting an exam this year.

Junior Isabelle Baker is one of the students who has already taken the ACT. Due to the disproportionate number of SAT test and ACT test cancellations this past year, she feels that the on-campus SAT exam will benefit a large audience of students looking to take it.

However, many colleges and universities have changed their requirements around standardized tests and become test-optional in response to the pandemic; consequently, some students are unsure whether or not taking the SAT is worth their investment.

According to LAHS college counselor Angela Price, test-optional colleges have not openly stated that there is an advantage to submitting standardized test scores, but they have made it clear that those who do not submit scores will not be disadvantaged.

“I cannot advise students to invest or not invest their time in the SAT/ACT,” Price wrote in an email. “However, I strongly suggest students make sure the colleges they are applying to require the SAT/ACT before investing money or time to take the test.”

To register for the exam, click here. Students enrolled in either the AVID or free or reduced lunch programs are eligible for discounts.

Wednesday, April 7: This story has been updated to include information about the availability of the SAT essay section at the Tuesday, April 27, on-campus SAT.