Saying Sayonara to the SAT: Is It Time to Let Go of Standardized Tests?
Re-evaluating the role of standardized test scores in college admissions.
As someone who has spent fourteen hours (rounded down) taking the PSAT, the Pre-ACT, the SAT, and, finally, the ACT twice, I would argue that I have a fair amount of experience with standardized testing. My take on standardized testing is not particularly nuanced; I despised every second I spent preparing for, thinking about, and taking every test presented to me. So, as the world began to shut down with no guarantee of waking up, the announcement of many universities no longer requiring standardized tests, specifically the SAT and the ACT, lifted a daunting weight off of my back. The process of sitting in a sterile, academic environment for three hours, surrounded by peers that have evolved into competitors, is anxiety-inducing for students everywhere. Foolishly, I had thought that no generation of students after me would have to go through this process if they didn’t volunteer to put themselves through it. However, as Covid cases have dwindled, so has the hope of institutions of higher education eliminating SAT/ACT scores as an admissions requirement. The merits of standardized testing have been debated for years, but the pandemic has shown that it is not an indispensable component of the admissions process. For the class of 2026, 55% of applicants submitted test scores, a slight increase compared to the 50% of scores submitted for the class of 2025 (Expert Admissions). In light of the uptick in submitted scores, it seems likely that many universities will return to the norm of requiring standardized tests, but is this a positive development?
Recently, MIT has taken a step against this COVID-era policy by requiring SAT/ACT scores for the class of 2027. In a post on the MIT admissions blog, Stu Schmill ’86, dean of admissions, wrote, “After careful consideration, we have decided to reinstate our SAT/ACT requirement for future admissions cycles. Our research shows standardized tests help us better assess the academic preparedness of all applicants…We believe a requirement is more equitable and transparent than a test-optional policy.” Although equity is one of the most prevalent reasons for the removal of standardized testing, MIT states that requiring testing will “help us identify academically prepared, socioeconomically disadvantaged students who could not otherwise demonstrate readiness because they…are otherwise hampered by educational inequalities” (Schmill).
While this policy may deter some applicants, it is important to note that “despite what some people infer from…statistics, [MIT does] not consider an applicant’s scores at all beyond the point where preparedness has been established as part of a multifactor analysis.” Schmill defines this multifactor analysis as “[the] need to do well in high school and have a strong match for MIT, including the resilience to rebound from its challenges, and the initiative to make use of its resources.” MIT has established an outstanding reason for requiring testing for the upcoming applicant pool: the General Institute Requirements declare that all students must pass “two semesters of calculus, plus two semesters of calculus-based physics….” The reinstitution of MIT’S testing requirement is not to cater to those with better testing resources; it is in the hopes that admitted students will be prepared “to not just to survive, but thrive, at MIT.”
While MIT reinstating its policy may seem like a rallying cry for other universities to follow, several highly-regarded institutions abolished the requirement for testing long before the pandemic. Schools like these, such as Wake Forest University, Wesleyan University, and Bowdoin College, have maintained their prestige despite dropping the need for standardized tests. These institutions employ a test-optional policy, meaning an applicant is able to submit scores but does not need to in order to apply. In their statement on the policy instituted in 2008, Wake Forest declared, “Making test scores optional would not compromise the academic quality of our institution, but it would make our university more diverse and intellectually stimulating.” Interviews with a member of the admissions team or alumni are highly encouraged at these institutions, indicating a more holistic review process. And, it seems this approach has worked. From the fall of 2008 to the fall of 2018, diversity at Wake forest has increased by 68% in the undergraduate population. Over the same period of time, the university reports that there has been “no difference in academic achievement at Wake Forest between those who submitted scores and those who declined to do so” (Wake Forest University). Still not convinced?
Even rarer, all schools in the well-respected University of California system are test-blind. While test-optional schools consider scores for those who choose to submit them, test-blind schools do not use scores in their evaluation. Within the UC system, scores “may be used as an alternative method of fulfilling minimum requirements for eligibility or for course placement after you enroll.” This testing policy, introduced for the fall of 2021 when confronted with the claim that tests “illegally discriminated against minority and low-income applicants,” eliminates any possible admissions advantages due to testing, such as the use of tutors, by taking testing out of the equation altogether. Although test-blind admissions mean that UC schools have less academic evidence to evaluate their applicants, this has not compromised the school's prestige or achievements. As of 2022, six of the University of California system schools have been ranked within the top 50 colleges in the United States (USNEWS).
At the start, I posed the question of whether or not standardized tests are truly necessary for university admissions. After all, if practically every school managed to curate its incoming class without test scores at the height of the pandemic, why revive a time-consuming, privilege-perpetuating practice? In the case of MIT, the reasons are obvious. Standardized tests are used as a marker of readiness for applicants to MIT, any score beyond an indication of proper preparation is no longer relevant. When applying to a rigorous school with an even more demanding set of General Institute Requirements, there are apparent grounds for necessitating test scores. However, in institutions, such as the UC system schools, that do not have a STEM-focused core curriculum, it is hard to imagine the reasons for standardized testing being essential. As colleges gear up for the incoming admissions cycle, they must resist the urge to mindlessly fall into the standardized testing trap, for the good of the school and its future students.
Works Cited
“2022 Best National Universities | US News Rankings.” US News, 2022, www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities.
California, University of. “Exam Requirement.” Exam Requirement | UC Admissions, 2022, admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/freshman-requirements/exam-requirement/.
Expert Admissions. “Early Admissions Data Class of 2026.” Expert Admissions, 19 Jan. 2022, expertadmissions.com/early-admissions-data-class-of-2026/.
Nietzel, Michael T. “University of California Reaches Final Decision: No More Standardized Admission Testing.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 19 Nov. 2021, www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2021/11/19/university-of-california-reaches-final-decision-no-more-standardized-admission-testing/?sh=68d4a77f2ec5.
Schmill, Stu. “We Are Reinstating Our SAT/ACT Requirement for Future Admissions Cycles.” MIT Admissions, 28 Mar. 2022, mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/we-are-reinstating-our-sat-act-requirement-for-future-admissions-cycles/.
“Test Optional Policy.” Bowdoin College, 2022, www.bowdoin.edu/admissions/our-process/test-optional-policy/index.html.
“Test Optional: Undergraduate Admissions: Wake Forest University.” Undergraduate Admissions, 13 Aug. 2020, admissions.wfu.edu/apply/test-optional/.
“Wake Forest Presents the Most Serious Threat so Far to the Future of the SAT.” The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, no. 60, 2008, pp. 9–9, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40407150. Accessed 17 Apr. 2022.
