Opinion: The SAT has got to go

You’re a junior or senior, and college applications are creeping up. There comes a formidable opponent staring you down. The dreaded SAT. It haunts you—not only because of the difficulty, but how much weight it holds; students believe that a bad SAT score equates to never getting into college.

But times are changing. With the impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic, colleges and universities have questioned the validity of the practice, tapering from requiring it to becoming test-optional or even test-blind. As fewer schools continue to consider them, the conclusion becomes clear. The SAT should be removed from the college admissions process, favoring a more holistic process that extends the student’s capacity past a number.

But how does the SAT relate to us in California? It’s optional, right?

In May 2021, the University of California (UC) schools instituted a test-blind policy, setting the tone for the rest of the nation. The UC schools also planned to have an individual test that would be administered in place of the SAT or ACT, but that decision was dropped in November 2021. For California students such as ourselves, applying to these schools would make the pressures of the SAT nonexistent.

And yet, the SAT still lives rent-free in our minds. For students applying to more selective, out-of-state colleges like the Ivies, the pressures of the SAT are magnified. Trying to find a difference between similar students, the SAT can be used to differentiate the two. That is the most likely reason California students would continue to take the SAT, even though most selective and out-of-state colleges are test-optional.

So, why do we have the SAT? According to the Princeton Review, “The purpose of the SAT is to measure a high school student’s readiness for college, and provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants.”

Although there is truth to these statements, ultimately, the SAT is not the best solution when it comes to predicting and comparing.

According to Prepexpert, “overall there is a high correlation between SAT scores and college performance.” They argue that in preparation of the SAT, skills—such as a growth mindset and dedicated studying—are fostered, which when transferred to college classes result in grit and delayed gratification, often leading to success.

However, the article fails to recognize that these skills are built most successfully through trial and error in classes. Although they could be developed by studying for the SAT, if a student does not already exhibit these skills, it is unlikely that the stressful SAT study period would bridge the gap. As students learn and grow in their years of schooling, it is most likely that it will be exhibited in their final grade, which is a culmination of semester-long classes, with plenty of opportunity to increase their grades. Grades are a much more likely indicator of tenacity as they span a wide range of time, as compared to the SAT which grades performance based on a 3-hour test. A semester will tell more about your study habits than will 3 hours, therefore indicating that there are better ways to measure a student’s readiness for college.

In the realm of comparison, the SAT also falls short.

In trying to make sure their admits are up to par with their academic standards, colleges give all the power to a single test that does more harm than good. By placing intelligence on a test score, colleges disregard individual circumstances as well as demographics that might impact those scores.

Large factors that lead to a significant gap between test takers are wealth, education, environment and ethnicity.

Behind an SAT score, test prep and retaking serve as advantages to the wealthy—opportunities that are less accessible to other families. On average, SAT Prep costs thousands of dollars, money that is excessive and unavailable to some families on top of a test that costs $60 per take.

Although Collegeboard has taken measures to reduce fees including two fee waivers for low-income students and partnering with Khan Academy to provide free SAT Prep, they fail to see the point. Why should a heavily weighed test make a student pay such a large amount for it? On top of the SAT registration fee, there are additional fees that place a burden on students and their families. SAT Prep books and courses are expensive. Retaking past two tries (for low-income students) and optional score analysis adds up. Even traveling to far testing centers places a strain on students and their parents. Yes, the College Board is a private organization. Yes, they need payments to mitigate costs arising from creating the test and grading them. But, the College Board is in no way strapped for cash.

Maybe you would argue with the test-optional standard and the high costs of the SAT, a good solution is to not take it at all.

Although College Board tests are not required, every student feels forced to take them in order to seem competitive in the cutthroat college admissions process. The fact that students and their parents are willing to spend thousands of dollars on SAT Test Prep signifies that the SAT does place a large weight on college applications.

Without getting a 1500 on the SAT and a few 4s and 5s on your AP exams, it looks as if you slacked off during your years in high school. If these tests are continually viewed as indicators of intelligence, students will continue to grovel their way towards them, forking over their money to be represented by a number that might, just might give them an edge in the college admissions process. And the cycle repeats for the next graduating class to suffer the ills of a monopoly that has no plans of ending.

Another gap is created by education, specifically interstate as well as international. Different states have different curriculums to adhere to, creating a gap in knowledge being taught. And don’t even mention the international students that have to brutally suffer through the English section, despite English not being their first language. It’s a complicated enough language for English speakers. Not providing international students with some sort of exam accommodation, such as more time, serves to disadvantage them as they are placed on the same level as native-English speakers.

Environment also plays a key role in how you develop academically. Being brought up in a good neighborhood and academically driven area or a stressful and poverty-stricken environment can show its consequences in the future. In fact, there is a large impact on learning based on the environments students live in. Less-than-ideal academic surroundings therefore inhibit students from reaching their potential, which could be harmful when the unavoidable effect is reflected in their SAT score.

Ethnicity correlates with test scores as well as representation in colleges. A research study conducted by Brookings Institute says that consistently low math SAT scores among the Black and Hispanic demographics are perpetuated by “generations of exclusionary housing, education, and economic policy.” It is no wonder then that Black and Hispanic students are underrepresented at more selective colleges. Lower scores mean less competitiveness, therefore less chances to get into college.

However, Brookings believes that the SAT should not be removed, arguing that the SAT gives students a chance to prove themselves by their own merit. But, if we kept the SAT, its influence would continue to inaccurately portray students through their scores. It makes no effort to consider the behind-the-scenes causes of the scores of students. Economic background? No. Ethnicity? No. How much sleep you got the night before? No. All that is used to calculate your SAT score is the questions you get right and wrong.  If the SAT does not even consider these situations that would play a part in score outcome, then their scores become “better proxies for how many opportunities a student has been afforded than they are predictors for students’ potential” according to Brookings.

While the SAT is only one part of the application process, it is the only “objective” piece of information, i.e. an unwavering number, to compare prospective students by. Therefore, it does still hold a heavy weight in the college application process, much more than it should. CourseNotes explains, “a poor SAT score will ruin many an application, especially in the more prestigious colleges” despite colleges being test-optional and applications being reviewed holistically. The objectiveness it champions is irrelevant when we consider the factors that impact the validity of the number. Therefore, the SAT is once again rendered inadequate in comparing students, and should not be in the college admissions process.

Through and through, the SAT provides test scores that tell very little despite the weight they hold, and even then do not encapsulate all of the factors that go into producing a test score. Colleges should stop putting an emphasis on SAT scores altogether, looking to trends in grades, extracurriculars and essays with more weight. Truly, those aspects will show academic ability over time as well as readiness, even excitement, for college as the next step in a student’s academic journey.

Related

Asian-American student with 1590 SAT score rejected by 6 elite colleges, blames affirmative action

For now, Students for Fair Admissions has but one goal in mind: to bring race-based college admissions to an end.

The affirmative action practice that has allegedly sidelined high-achieving Asian Americans now sits before the U.S. Supreme Court, awaiting a decision that, depending on the outcome, could alter the review process for college applications for the foreseeable future. 

Its fate could also weigh heavily on the academic futures of people like 18-year-old Jon Wang, a Florida native who scored a 1590 out of 1600 on the SAT, with a perfect score on the math section. Combined with a 4.65 high school GPA, most would see him as a shoo-in for any elite university.

Somehow, the numbers still weren't high enough. 

SUPREME COURT TO HEAR CASE THAT COULD END 40 YEARS OF RACE-BASED AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS

Asian-American student Jon Wang says he is speaking out against affirmative action policies that discriminate against his race. (Fox Nation/The Diversity Verdict)

"The top-tier schools I applied to were MIT, CalTech, Princeton, Harvard, Carnegie-Mellon and U.C. Berkeley," he said.

Wang was rejected by all of them.

But the rejection letters didn't come without warning. Wang told Fox Nation he talked to friends and school guidance counselors going into the application process, and they all issued a bizarre warning. 

"They all told me that it's tougher to get in, especially as an Asian American. I just took it as gospel," he said.

Wang, the child of two first-generation Chinese immigrants, is one of the people behind the plaintiff group taking on Harvard University and the University of North Carolina — two institutions whose race-based admissions practices have emerged at the epicenter of affirmative action practices for public and private institutions.

SIX OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED SUPREME COURT CASES WE COULD GET DECISIONS ON BY JULY 4

The Supreme Court is seen at sundown in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

He shared his story in the Fox Nation special "The Diversity Verdict," which is now available for streaming. 

Fox News' Laura Ingraham hosts, walking subscribers through the court case that could shape the future of higher education and shift focus to a merit-based system.

JUSTICES HEAR ARGUMENTS OVER AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN HARVARD, UNC SUPREME COURT CASES

Last fall, the high court heard two cases dealing with the issue, deciding to keep them separate since Harvard is a private institution and UNC is public, creating distinct legal concerns.

At stake in the Harvard case is whether the university violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by discriminating against Asian-American applicants. The UNC case, in contrast, looks at that school's unwillingness to adopt a "race-neutral alternative." 

Either of the two cases could overturn 2003 precedent case Grutter v. Bollinger, wherein the court ultimately ruled that the use of race as an admissions factor was not unconstitutional as long as it was narrowly tailored to further the compelling interests of obtaining the educational benefits available in a diverse student body.

But, is getting accepted to college more difficult for Asian American applicants? Ingraham said The Princeton Review, a company that provides college prep and test-taking advice for high schoolers hoping to go to college, agrees with Wang's concern.

A passage from its book "Cracking College Admissions" notes that the high success of many Asian-American students has generated concerns among some schools who allege there are "too many" on their campuses.

The two Supreme Court cases in subject deal with the admissions policies of Harvard and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (Fox News)

As explored in the Fox Nation special, the book says applying to college as an Asian American could be a "distinct disadvantage" at many elite schools. It also instructs applicants to refrain from including a photo of themselves in their application and withhold optional answers about ethnic background, if possible, as well as to avoid writing admissions essays about the significance of identifying with two cultures.

"I was scared of getting backlash on social media for it [raising awareness about unfair admissions]," Wang said. "For fighting for what I think is a really important issue." 

But he found a space among Students for Fair Admissions.

"I gave them my test scores, and then they must've ran the model on that… [they] told me I had a 20% chance of getting accepted to Harvard as an Asian American and a 95% chance as an African American," he said. 

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Wang also found a home at the Georgia Institute of Technology — better known as Georgia Tech — a high-profile Atlanta-based university that specializes in engineering and other STEM degrees.

Despite the risk of backlash in his career and elsewhere, he said he's never going to stop fighting for the right cause and for future generations of Asian Americans.

"I feel like, if I'm looking back, 10 or 20 years from now, if I didn't do it [speak up], I'd be pretty upset with myself," said Wang.

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Decisions in Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College could come before July 4.

Fox News' Ronn Blitzer and Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.

Taylor Penley is a production assistant with Fox News.

The GRE Test Is Cut in Half: Two Hours and Done

The changes reflect a general decline in the use of standardized tests, partly because of concerns among university administrators that the tests fail to predict success and that they may deter applicants from underrepresented groups.

Some studies have found that the tests handicap low-income and minority students, partly because wealthy students can improve their scores by taking expensive test prep courses. What’s more, the GRE test itself is expensive — $220 in most locations.

Boston University’s School of Public Health said that after it removed its GRE requirement in 2019, the number of Black and Hispanic applicants had increased, with no decline in student performance.

A growing number of graduate programs have moved to make the GRE optional or to eliminate it altogether as part of their admission requirements.

Duke University, a prestigious private institution in North Carolina, announced last year that it would not require the GRE for most of its graduate programs, extending a test-optional policy that began during the pandemic.

Calling the phenomenon the GRExit, the academic journal Science conducted a survey of 50 top-ranked graduate programs in 2019 and found that 44 percent of molecular biology Ph.D. programs had stopped requiring the scores.

At the same time, some law schools now accept GRE scores in place of the standard Law School Admission Test, or LSAT.

Even so, the number of GRE tests taken declined to 341,574 in 2021 from 541,750 in 2017.

The decline mirrors similar declines in the use of the SAT and the ACT after hundreds of colleges moved to test-optional admissions for undergraduates.

The College Board, which controls the SAT, will also move to a shorter, online test, beginning in 2024 in the United States, following its introduction in other countries in 2023. The new SAT will take two hours rather than three and will feature shorter reading passages with one or two questions, requiring fewer responses.

In a decision to be announced by the end of its term, the Supreme Court is widely expected to eliminate or limit the consideration of race in college admissions, meaning that undergraduate and graduate programs will no longer be permitted to give preferential treatment to underserved minority students in an effort to increase the diversity of their classes.

The decision is likely to place additional pressure on universities to limit or eliminate the use of standardized admissions exams as they move to more holistic admissions policies.