Changes are coming to the SAT—but not, it seems, to the Washington University admissions process.

At the beginning of March, the College Board announced a variety of changes to the SAT as a response to criticisms from teachers, parents and students. The changes include making the writing section optional, like on the SAT’s competitor, the ACT, in addition to a return to the 1,600-point scale and vocabulary questions that focus on more common words seen in school and workplaces.

Julie Shimabukuro, director of undergraduate admissions, believes the changes will not substantially impact admissions because Washington University’s process is focused more on the rigor of class schedule and class performance.

“The most important part of an application is the academic record or transcript. We consider each student with respect to the high school, the size of the school, whether they offer [Advanced Placement] or [International Baccalaureate],” Shimabukuro said. “We wanted to know if the student took the most rigorous schedule available that they can handle and if they did well in those classes.”

The College Board’s changes also attempt to level the playing field for students of lower income by downplaying the effect of potentially expensive test preparation classes, including a future collaboration with Khan Academy to offer free test preparation videos accessible to anyone.

“For the first time ever, all students who want to go to college can prepare for the SAT at their own pace, at absolutely no cost,” Salman Khan, founder of Khan Academy, said in a statement on his website. “Unlike other test prep, the resources on Khan Academy will be developed through a close collaboration with the authors of the SAT themselves.”

Shimabukuro suggested that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions appreciates the changes to simplify studying for the test and allow all students to perform at their best.

“We’re in favor of any change that makes standardized tests less burdensome, increases accessibility and affordability for students,” she said.

Shimabukuro is not concerned with how the test will change the admissions process since there will be similarities that Admissions has seen before.

“We’ve operated before with the 1,600 SAT—the writing and essay will be optional as it is with the ACT,” Shimabukuro said. “Only time will tell to see how this test will differ from what it is currently and how it may differ from the ACT.”

Shimabukuro’s final suggestion for prospective students was to focus on challenging themselves in their coursework and developing good habits to ensure long-term performance.

“Our advice to students is to stay focused on school. Standardized tests won’t help students perform in [General Chemistry], but working hard in class and developing good study habits will,” she said.

Sophomore Varan Satchi appreciates the SAT’s changes to be more relevant and try to reduce the performance gap related to family income.

“The moves to make it a college prep exam is good since it’s supposed to test your preparedness for college,” Satchi said. “I like how they’re partnering with Khan Academy since I think it’s a cool resource. A huge issue with the SAT is that wealthier kids get a huge advantage by spending hundreds of dollars for books.”

Sophomore Jonathan Cohen decided the ACT was a better fit for him when he was in high school and also supports leveling the playing field for SAT performance.

“I only took the SAT once; I took the ACT and did better on that,” Cohen said. “From my perspective, [the SAT changes] probably make it a bit easier to prepare. My tutor certainly wasn’t cheap—for people who can’t afford a private tutor, it probably evens the playing field a bit.”