Should Colleges Stay Test-Optional?
After COVID turned many schools test-optional, and with the recent recession of COVID (or at least remote learning), standardized testing requirements have been on many students’ minds. There have been many questions of whether standardized testing, like the ACT and SAT, are more objective metrics of knowledge/ intelligence as opposed to only using GPAs because school’s grades can differ a lot: an A at one school may be a B at another, etc. However, while the SAT and ACT is the same test for all the students who take it, and they will be graded on the same rubric; is it really an accurate measure of intelligence?
For both of these tests (the SAT and ACT), there is a set of knowledge you are supposed to know to get a higher score. For the SAT, in specific, the math section covers a lot less material, but goes very in depth about the things it does cover. If colleges use SAT scores in order to assess one’s intelligence, this inherently means that your intelligence (to colleges) is based on your knowledge of algebra, geometry and trigonometry, advanced math, problem solving and data analysis (“Types of Math Tested – SAT Suite | College Board”). And for the English section: your ability to comprehend, analyze, and reason in order to understand informational graphics, use high-utility words and phrases, evaluate texts and make connections between them, revise texts, and knowledge of grammar and punctuation (“The Reading and Writing Section – SAT Suite | College Board”). The knowledge of this limited range of skills is not a good predictor of one’s intelligence/ intrinsic ability, it really only shows one’s ability to spend six months studying for the SAT.
As for the ACT, it covers a wide range of material, but goes less in depth on it. To get a high score on the ACT, one is expected to know how to solve questions concerning “…pre-algebra, elementary algebra, and intermediate algebra questions; plane geometry and coordinate geometry questions; and some trigonometry questions” (“6 Math Questions Types You WILL Face on the ACT”). And for the English section you are expected to: revise longer texts, read closely, and know how to strategically choose evidence to support reasoning, and (optionally) write a strong essay. Additionally, unlike the SAT, the ACT has a short science section in which one is expected to have an understanding of biology, chemistry, Earth/space sciences and physics (“The ACT Test for Students”). Although this test does cover a wider range of topics that may show a more comprehensive understanding of a student’s intelligence, it still has the same problem as the SAT: it doesn’t show one’s intrinsic ability, and it excludes many other types of knowledge that one may have.
The main problem of these standardized tests is that they really only show how much someone has studied for them, and for some people it isn’t possible to study as much as others. This can be for a variety of reasons, but mainly, this affects kids who aren’t as financially well-off. These kids usually don’t have access to expensive tutors or classes that others do. Sometimes it is because these resources are simply too expensive for most people to access, but other times it is just a lack of time due to other commitments. Some kids are expected to take care of their families, whether it be because their guardians are working, or because a family member is sick, or they may have younger siblings who they are expected to primarily care for. This is often a problem for less wealthy people because the resources to help them are too expensive for them, and this can significantly impact one’s ability to do well on standardized tests like the SAT and ACT. Even test-required Ivy League schools have acknowledged this. The Harvard Gazette (the student newspaper for Harvard) published an issue about the controversies surrounding standardized testing: “...children of the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans were 13 times likelier than the children of low-income families to score 1300 or higher on SAT/ACT tests” (Mineo). There are many factors that can contribute to this, mainly lack of resources, but also many standardized tests themselves are biased towards wealthier people because they have information on them that more well-off people are likely to know culturally. Additionally, the reason these tests have been administered for so long is because they are seen to be an “objective” measure of a potential candidates intelligence, but this is found to be untrue: “Research has shown over time that standardized test scores are most strongly correlated to socioeconomic factors and are not predictive of college success…” (Strauss). So not only are these tests biased towards people who don’t have as much access to resources to study, but scores are not predictive of how well one does in college: which is the major selling point of standardized testing for college admissions.
That being said, lack of resources isn’t only a problem for people who are less wealthy. For example, student athletes often have a problem with time-management; between homework, games, and practices it can be hard for them to find the time to study for this test. Standardized testing is such an issue for student athletes that the National Collegiate Athletic Association has stopped requiring SAT and ACT scores for potential student athletes (“NCAA Sliding Scale | GPA and SAT/ACT Requirements”). This same reasoning also applies for people in extracurriculars that require a time commitment outside of school. Therefore these tests aren’t necessarily an indicator of willingness to study, but more of an indicator of the amount of fixed commitments one already has. The NCAA made an appropriate and beneficial decision in removing SAT/ACT scores for the potential student athletes with outside of school commitments, but it is also important to keep in mind that there are other students who’s commitments outside of school aren’t excused by an organization like the NCAA, so the more inclusive path to take is one that facilitates a switch to all schools becoming test-optional.
As is common for many systems like these, there is a racial aspect to doing well on these standardized tests. A group of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and Southern California found that “…the difference in SAT scores between high- and low-income students was twice as large among black students compared to white students” (Hess). To further explore this correlation, these researchers conducted an extensive study in which they had three main findings. Primarily: the effect of income on SAT performance is more significant for Black test-takers, and secondarily: the effect of high school achievement on SAT performance is meaningfully larger for White test-takers in their sample. The thing that was the most interesting was the fact that income has a negligible effect on high school achievement for both black and white students, it only has a significant effect concerning standardized test-taking (Dixon-Roman and Mcardle). This further proves that test-taking is not an objective measure of one’s intelligence. In fact, grades are actually less biased by social class and race, and they may be a better indicator of how students will do in college as opposed to standardized testing scores.
Ultimately, the evidence highlights that standardized tests like the SAT and ACT fail to provide an equitable or accurate measure of intelligence, college readiness, or potential success. What’s more, why should students be spending six months studying for a test when college admissions should really be about themselves personally and as a student? The college process has become so rigorous and exclusive as time passes, and standardized testing has become an outdated part of the process. In a time where many students can’t make the commitment to taking standardized tests, no matter how intelligent they are inside and outside of school, colleges must be able to cater to students who may not have the resources to do well on standardized tests.
Work Cited
“6 Math Questions Types You WILL Face on the ACT.” Www.princetonreview.com, www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/act-math-practice.
Dixon-Roman, Ezekiel J., and John J. Mcardle. “(PDF) Race, Poverty and SAT Scores: Modeling the Influences of Family Income on Black and White High School Students’ SAT Performance.” ResearchGate, 2013, www.researchgate.net/publication/280232788_Race_Poverty_and_SAT_Scores_Modeling_the_Influences_of_Family_Income_on_Black_and_White_High_School_Students.
Hess, Abigail. “Rich Students Get Better SAT Scores—Here’s Why.” CNBC, 3 Oct. 2019, www.cnbc.com/2019/10/03/rich-students-get-better-sat-scores-heres-why.html.
Mineo, Liz. “New Study Finds Wide Gap in SAT/ACT Test Scores between Wealthy, Lower-Income Kids.” Harvard Gazette, 22 Nov. 2023, news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/11/new-study-finds-wide-gap-in-sat-act-test-scores-between-wealthy-lower-income-kids/.
“NCAA Sliding Scale | GPA and SAT/ACT Requirements.” Ncsasports.org, 2016, www.ncsasports.org/ncaa-eligibility-center/ncaa-sliding-scale.
Strauss, Valerie. “Colleges Should Rethink Using Standardized Test Scores for Admissions, Major Counselors’ Group Says.” Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/08/19/colleges-should-rethink-using-standardized-test-scores-admissions-major-counselors-group-says/.
“The ACT Test for Students.” ACT, 2019, www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act.html.
“The Reading and Writing Section – SAT Suite | College Board.” Satsuite.collegeboard.org, satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/whats-on-the-test/reading-writing.
“Types of Math Tested – SAT Suite | College Board.” Satsuite.collegeboard.org, satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/whats-on-the-test/math/types.
