New Mexico to try SAT again after virus derails test mandate

FILE - In this Oct. 19, 2020, file photo, a student carries a math book delivered by school bus driver Kelly Maestas along his rural route outside Cuba, N.M. New Mexico students will take the SAT in spring 2022 as the state phases in a pandemic-delayed testing requirement aimed at increasing participation and scores that vary widely by racial and ethnic groups. Native American students had the lowest participation during the pandemic, but many took the test despite COVID-19 concerns in order to qualify for college scholarships. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio, File)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico high school juniors should expect to take the SAT next spring. Officials are requiring the test as a replacement for an old test.
The switch is coming a year late after required testing was canceled due to the pandemic.
College counselors are encouraging students to take the test early and often, as some did even during the pandemic.
While not required by many universities anymore, SAT scores can still help students get scholarships or bypass remedial English and math classes when they are undergraduates.
In 2021, fewer Indigenous students have taken the SAT than their peers.