Should the SAT Still Reign Supreme? Colleges Reintroduce Exam Amid Debate

For generations, American teenagers have faced the SAT, an anxiety-inducing long test they believe might determine their educational prospects.

The SAT, which stands as the country’s most enduring standardized college entrance exam, has endured decades of debate regarding biases and criticisms for distilling ambitious college-bound students down to mere test scores. Additionally, it has been criticized for serving as one component of the substantial barriers to accessing what is referred to as America’s merit-based system.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous cases arose where most prestigious universities In several countries where they halted their standardized testing requirements, many people hoped for a new epoch of fairer college admission processes.

However, this year, numerous institutions have reversed their stance on test-optional policies. Concurrently, at least 1,825 U.S. colleges and universities have adopted such policies. more than 80% Of the four-year institutions, testing will remain optional for the 2025 admission cycle, as stated by FairTest, the National Center for Fair & Open Testing.

The fragmentation of admission policies following the pandemic has reignited discussions about whether the SAT is still necessary.

Should we test, or should we not?

The SAT has faced criticism for decades. Originally called the "Scholastic Aptitude Test," the examination was created in the 1920s by Princeton-based eugenicist Carl Brigham, who thought immigration was diminishing American intellect and modified U.S. Army psychological assessments to see if comparable tests could gauge inherent student aptitude. (Years afterward, Brigham withdrew certain aspects of his beliefs.)

The College Board, the nonprofit organization responsible for developing and overseeing the test, informedkor.news that the SAT has undergone "a complete overhaul" since the 1920s and currently assesses how effectively a student has mastered particular subject matter, rather than their innate abilities.

However, the exam's heritage—which is deeply rooted in racial and socioeconomic biases—has sparked debates regarding the necessity of such consequential testing. The National Education Association has pointed out that both the SAT and its alternative, the ACT, often play an overly significant role in determining college admissions.

It's crucial that we avoid placing too much reliance on these assessments since they aren't comprehensive," said Daaiyah Bilal-Threats, the Director of Policy at NEA, to kor.news. "These tests merely provide a single moment captured on one particular day and could decide your college admission.

The majority of universities do not intend to restore their previous testing policies as they were before the pandemic.

"Test-optional policies remain prevalent among national universities, state flagship institutions, and selective liberal arts colleges as they generally lead to an increase in applications, higher academic caliber candidates, and greater diversity," stated Harry Feder, executive director of FairTest, in a February release following announcements from several Ivy League schools about reinstating their testing mandates.

There is a significant focus on achieving high SAT scores, leading to the rapid expansion of a profitable test preparation sector within the U.S., projected to increase by around 7%, reaching nearly $50 billion by 2027. This forecast comes from a Technavio market research report released in October 2023.

Issues with standardized tests seem to reflect the inherent inequalities within the educational system. Experts argue that eliminating the SAT from admission criteria, similar to what numerous colleges did during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, fails to address these deep-seated disparities. Instead, this might actually make the differences more apparent.

Affluent students might have the advantage of securing prestigious internships, attending schools with more generously funded clubs and athletics, along with music and arts programs—key components of a top-tier college application.

“Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds lack access to such enriching activities. They typically haven’t participated in prestigious jazz bands, secured competitive internships, or volunteered abroad in places like Guatemala. Nonetheless, some among them can still be highly competent learners,” stated Daniel Koretz, an assessment specialist from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. The key issue he raises is how educational institutions identify these talented individuals.

Koretz suggests that the SAT has endured for so long because of its effectiveness in forecasting how well a student will do academically in college.

A study released in January by Harvard’s Opportunity Insights The center discovered that standardized tests predict performance better than high school grades do.

Importantly, the research also revealed that students from various socioeconomic statuses with comparable test scores exhibit "practically indistinguishable" college grade point averages.

A few weeks following the release of the study, multiple schools that had previously adopted a test-optional policy for close to four years decided to change course. In February, both Yale and Dartmouth declared they would reintroduce standardized testing requirements, prompting other universities—both private and state-funded—to follow suit. These include institutions like Brown, Georgetown, Harvard, the University of Florida, and the University of Texas at Austin.

Dartmouth stated in a February announcement that SAT/ACT scores could be particularly useful for recognizing students from underprivileged environments who have high potential but may not stand out in a testing-optional scenario.

"Given the large number of high school students with GPAs around 4.0… standardized test scores like those from the SAT or ACT serve as reliable distinguishing factors that benefit both the students and the university," UT Austin stated in March.

There is still a necessity for standardized tests.

Experts consulted by Kor.Newssay assert that the SAT is essential due to the lack of a uniform educational system across America.

Different schools might have varying grading standards. Certain institutions adjust their grade point averages differently. At some schools within a particular region, an A+ in an Advanced Placement course counts as 4.0 towards the GPA. However, in others, this same grade can equate to either a 5.0, 4.5, or even a 4.2.

Even within the same educational institution and discipline, certain instructors may have more forgiving grading standards compared to their peers.

Experts explained to kor.news that college admissions officials can't possibly consider every minor difference among applicants, which means standardized tests will probably remain prevalent until other aspects of US education become more uniform.

Whenever you deal with a large educational system such as ours, particularly without uniform standards within the K-12 framework, schools will seek methods for comparing their students," noted Ethan Hutt, who teaches at UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Education. "This could involve an assessment similar to the SAT rather than the test itself.

Democratizing education

The absence of standardized practices dates back to the formative years of American education. During the 19th century, monitoring student performance was minimal, and grading as well as written examinations were not typical features.

In the 19th century, schools ... used to bring together parents and community members, and the teacher would essentially host a presentation featuring the entire class," explained Hutt. "The students were asked questions and required to recite material they had mastered.

Until 1845, oral exams were standard practice. However, in that year, Horace Mann, who was both an education reformer and the Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education, introduced a written exam to assess the quality of teaching in public schools throughout the Boston area.

College education was extremely uncommon because the system was structured to benefit affluent white males who were channeled from top-tier private institutions in the northeastern part of the country into equally esteemed private universities located primarily in the same region.

"Typically, this process involved colleges recognizing specific high schools and stating, 'Any graduate from (Phillips Exeter Academy) will be directly admitted to Harvard,' or alternatively, they would dispatch faculty members to conduct examinations at those particular institutions," explained Hutt.

Originally introduced in 1926, the SAT aimed to expand the range of students applying for universities.

Three key pieces of legislation inadvertently broadened the reach of the SAT. Initially, the 1944 Serviceman's Readjustment Act, widely recognized as the GI Bill, provided financial support for former service members seeking higher education. During this period, from 1944 to 1951, over two million veterans signed up for college courses.

Secondly, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 barred colleges and universities receiving federal funds from denying admission based on "race, color, or national origin." Eight years later, Congress enacted another pivotal statute—Title IX—which banned educational institutions from engaging in gender discrimination. Theoretically, these laws aimed to create a more equitable landscape for college admissions.

From 1945 to 1995, the percentage of Americans over 25 years old with a bachelor’s degree rose from approximately 5% to 23%, as reported by the Census Bureau. As access to higher education expanded, the SAT transformed into the crucial test for many individuals in America.

A standard in flux

The College Board regularly updates and revises both the scoring system and content of the SAT. For many years, the examination included two multiple-choice parts: mathematics and verbal reasoning. Both segments were scored out of 800 points each, with a maximum possible score of 1600.

In 2005, the College Board introduced an 800-point Writing section to accompany the Math and Verbal Reasoning sections of the exam. This change increased the total score from 1600 to 2400 points and made the test 45 minutes longer. Approximately nine years after this modification, the SAT returned to a 1600-point structure with the option for students to skip the essay portion. By 2021, the essay segment had been completely removed from the assessment.

On March 9, the College Board conducted its inaugural fully digital SAT examination. This version, lasting approximately two hours and completed via a test-taking application by more than 200,000 students, is considerably briefer compared to previous iterations. Additionally, this new format is adaptive; thus, the difficulty level of subsequent questions in both the reading and math segments adjusts according to each participant's initial performance.

A significant part of the drive for this redesign stems from the competitive pressure posed by the ACT, an examination originating in Iowa back in 1959. This test has increasingly gained preference across various regions of the nation over time.

"When the ACT began gaining significantly more popularity, partly due to its brevity, the SAT aimed to preserve its market position. Consequently, it implemented several modifications for this purpose," explained Rachel Rubin, a higher education policy specialist and co-founder of the Massachusetts-based educational consultancy firm Spark Admissions.

Despite a minor decline in the number of participants, with only 1.9 million students taking the SAT in 2023 as opposed to 2.2 million before the pandemic, the College Board’s examination remains dominant. In contrast, approximately 1.4 million students sat for the ACT in 2023, down from 1.7 million back in 2019.

Navigating through a legacy of prejudice

The SAT's analogy segment, a standard part of the test up until 2005, was frequently condemned for assuming that all examinees hail from specific cultural contexts. A notorious instance from an '80s edition featured "regatta," referring to competitive boating events predominantly familiar to affluent populations in the northeastern U.S.

For numerous decades, the SAT...was created primarily by individuals who were predominantly white, mostly men, and mainly graduates of northeastern educational institutions," stated Jack Schneider, director of UMass Amherst’s Center for Education Policy. "Their beliefs regarding what every well-educated individual ought to be familiar with often favored those from Anglophone backgrounds, wealthier areas, and regions dominated by non-English speaking populations.

Schneider recognizes that removing bias from the SAT is extremely challenging due to our "biased societal environment."

The College Board informed kor.news that they have eliminated their use of obscure vocabulary over the last ten years.

"Beginning in 2014, we decided to assess all the commonly measured aspects that are particularly valuable in college and which students are more prone to come across in their high school classes," stated David Coleman, CEO of the College Board, emphasizing this approach covers both mathematical content and vocabulary proficiency.

Recently, the College Board has introduced several cost-reducing measures aimed at promoting fairness for qualifying examinees. These include eliminating the $60 registration charge and providing college application fee waivers, potentially saving candidates up to $90 per institution. . Since 2015, it has collaborated with the educational non-profit organization Khan Academy to offer free test preparation resources.

Launched in 2014, the SAT School Day initiative enables students to sit for the exam during school hours on a regular weekday instead of having to attend an off-site location on weekends where they might be less familiar with their surroundings. According to the College Board, most students participate in this program because research indicates that it significantly boosts college enrollment among economically disadvantaged and rural youth.

Coleman mentions that giving the test in a known setting can lessen the anxiety associated with taking the SAT. Additionally, he noted that the abbreviated digital version aims to cater to various kinds of examinees.

Coleman stated, "The previous version of the SAT seems tailored for students who are fast thinkers, which often leads to confusing speed with intelligence." He added, "With the new digital test, students get 160% more time per question... ensuring they can complete the exam without feeling rushed."

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