"Some of Maryland’s largest school systems have joined a growing national movement to provide college admission testing to high school juniors at no charge.
But there’s a catch for many of these students and others around the country: The free exams won’t include the essay-writing portion that some highly selective universities require.
This month and next, most Montgomery County high schools will administer the SAT for the first time on selected school days, without the exam’s optional essay. Students who prefer the other major admissions test, the ACT, were offered vouchers to cover the $46 cost of registering to take it on a weekend without an essay.
The initiative, projected to cost up to $450,000 a year, aims to widen access to higher education. Many states and school systems in recent years have begun paying for admissions testing to help students prepare for college or perhaps think about it seriously for the first time." …