In recent years, the tide has turned against standardized tests like the SAT and ACT. Once a non-negotiable metric in determining college admissions, many colleges have abandoned such tests, declaring them unnecessary or even racist. While many schools have gone “test optional” during the pandemic, this trend appears to have continued on the other side of the COVID-19 panic. According to FairTest, an anti-standardization testing group, most American colleges are now test-optional, and more than 80 refuse to consider scores altogether.
But the trend against testing could be reversing. New data shows that standardized tests predict student achievement better than high school GPA alone. Some schools have even reinstated testing requirements, including Dartmouth College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), whose dean of admissions said The New York Times“Just getting straight A’s is not enough information to know whether or not students will be successful.”
SATAT: SAT Aptitude Test
To test your knowledge about university entrance exams, here is our standardized test:
This article originally appeared in print under the headline “Quiz: The SAT, Reexamined.”