Caption: PACA junior, Kevin Dai, logs into his Bluebook App on his Chromebook, which is the primary way in which students take tests through College Board (PSAT, SAT and AP exams). [by Alec Hayashi]
By Alec Hayashi
For a long time, standardized tests like the SAT and the ACT have been a basis of college admissions. They are often viewed as a critical part of a student’s portfolio and essential for gaining an acceptance letter to the college or university of one’s choice.
Nowadays, more and more colleges have adopted test-optional or test-blind policies, giving students the flexibility to decide whether or not to send in their test scores. Supporters of standardized tests argue that the tests provide a fair way to compare students, while others claim they create unnecessary stress and widen inequalities.
The central point in the argument comes from the question of whether the SAT and ACT help to show which students will be successful at the college level, or does the process of testing do more harm than good?
Standardized testing can be helpful by giving colleges and universities a quick way to assess students from various backgrounds and schools. At one school, a student can receive an “A”, but compared to another school’s grading system, that “A” could be the same value as a “B”. Since each school has its own unique way of giving out grades to students, a standardized test can put everyone on the same level of assessment.
On the other hand, these tests often favor those who have abundant resources to be able to buy prep courses and private tutoring, putting low-income students at a disadvantage. According to a UChicago study, research shows that the high school GPA is a better predictor of college success than test scores, suggesting that exams like the SAT may not be as important as a student’s academic record throughout high school. Additionally, the pressure of taking a standardized test can negatively affect a student’s mental health, leading some students to not perform optimally and underperform despite their true ability.
Meanwhile, colleges have started to change in recognition of the growing issues with the test system. Over 1,800 schools have gone test-optional, and elite colleges such as NYU and the University of Chicago have gone that route. There is also a growing group of institutions that are test-blind. Universities such as Duke, Cornell and Columbia will not accept standardized tests even if students try to include them in their applications.
Even with this change, incoming classes have been just as strong as prior classes,producing the same results or higher results than past generations. Instead of mainly concentrating on test scores, admission officers have now started to look at a student´s whole portfolio, which includes examining their grades, essays, test scores, letters of recommendation, and reviewing their extracurricular activities.
Admission officers now want to see the whole picture of a student, how the student reacts to certain situations, what ambitions the student has, and what skills the student has. Officers want to look past the numbers to really understand the candidate that they might be accepting into their university.
It is important to note, though, that not all colleges are test-optional and require a minimum SAT score to even be considered in being accepted. Universities like Caltech and MIT are test-required.
While standardized tests may offer benefits toward college admissions, there are negative drawbacks too, such as stress and unequal advantages. Many colleges are moving away from standardized tests, instead, they are focusing on other aspects of the application, such as grades, essays, and extracurricular activities. Standardized testing may not be as helpful as in the past, and further reducing its importance could create a more equal landscape in the admissions process.
