The SAT has been a long tradition for undergraduate college admissions. But is tradition always fair?
The requirement for SAT scores for undergraduate admissions is problematic in several ways. 1). It decreases admissions for underrepresented minority students. 2). It’s not the best predictor of college success 3). It diminishes an applicant’s accomplishment in other areas.
The SAT requirement decreases admissions for underrepresented minority students. According to Brookings research, “The mean score on the math section of the SAT for all test-takers is 511 out of 800, the average scores for blacks (428) and Latinos (457) are significantly below those of whites (534) and Asians (598)” (Brookings Institution, 2022). Why are SAT scores often lower among underrepresented minority groups? Because standardized tests are racially biased towards those groups. “While the math section is objective…often the reading passages are about subjects that white, upper class students are more exposed to. The verbal section favors white students by using language with which they are more familiar than non-white students” (Collins, MIC 2012). When college admissions committees use SAT scores as a deciding factor of admission acceptance, this can have a direct impact on underrepresented minority students. Although some colleges have special considerations to admit URMs, that doesn’t happen across the board. This is part of the reason why underrepresented minority students are not well represented at some elite universities such as Harvard and Yale. College admissions committees believe SAT scores predict college success, but is this necessarily true?
SAT scores are not the best predictor of college success. New research shows that “Grade point averages are a much better predictor of success at college than standardized tests” (Morrison, Forbes 2020). Just because an applicant doesn’t perform well on the SATs that doesn’t mean they won’t achieve collegiate success. As an academic advisor, I’ve seen this with my own students and from my own experience. I didn’t perform well on the SATs, but I earned a 3.9 GPA in high school and went on to earn a 3.6 GPA in undergrad. The knowledge students gain in core subject areas in high school can be applied to their college classes. Is SAT material applied to college courses? And if so, would students even remember the material?
I’ve read countless college admissions applications, I’ve seen applicants with excellent grades, work experience, and extra-curricular activities rejected because they don’t have high SAT scores. Why should one score override their other achievements? By rejecting these applicants, colleges often miss out on talented students. Applicants that have part-time jobs learn the importance of time management and multi-tasking. Applicants involved in student organizations and recreational sports learn how to work on a team. Time management, teamwork, and multi-tasking are key areas I see college students struggle with. These skills are not only important but necessary when graduates enter the workplace. These are not skills students will learn from taking the SAT.
Based on these observations, I feel abolishing the SAT makes college admissions more fair.