NORTH DAKOTA (KXNET) — Standardized tests used to be the standard, with many colleges and universities requiring a minimum score for admission. But now, the popularity of standardized tests for college applications is rapidly decreasing.

This past May, North Dakota legislators voted to remove standardized testing requirements for admission into state universities. As of August 1, the new law has gone into effect — but even if they don’t matter as much for admission purposes, North Dakota teachers say it’s still important to do your best on these exams.

“A lot of scholarships don’t actually require any standardized testing,” explained Legacy High School teacher Courtney Hartleib. “North Dakota as a state and the North Dakota university system have decided that they’re not going to require the ACT or the SAT anymore — but not everybody’s going to stay within North Dakota. So, it’s always best to do your best on those standardized tests, specifically the ACT and the SAT.”

If you are prepping for standardized testing, it’s important to determine where you want to go to school, and whether or not you’ll stay in North Dakota. Another important thing to take into account is whether or not you plan to go to school beyond college — as officials say this is when GPA and test scores matter most.

“What test scores and higher GPAs do after that is sometimes make you more eligible for scholarship money,” said U-Mary professor Nathan Kilpatrick. “Depending on your economics, that’s how much you need to focus on your grades and your test scores and things like that.”

If you’re looking to earn scholarship money, teachers say it’s best to start preparing now.

Many high schools offer ACT prep classes that can help you earn a higher score, and there are many practice tests and resources available on the ACT website.

“Get yourself familiar with the ACT website,” continued Hartleib. “All of those materials are free. If you would like, ACT for dummies is actually really good — I did that when I was in high school, and just take as many practice tests as you can to familiarize yourself.”

Teachers say taking a little time to prepare right now can save a lot of money down the road.