Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 October 2025
Many colleges that required SAT or ACT scores before the pandemic suspended them during it. After the dangers of the pandemic subsided most have not yet resumed their use. The arguments supporting their continued suspension are based primarily on the fact that such tests, like most other tests, show differences among subgroups (e.g., races). We discuss the costs and benefits of no longer using such tests scores in admission decisions. College admission tests were developed in the 1920s to level the playing field and allow more students to qualify for college. Carl Brigham developed the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) in 1926. Soon, the College Board adopted the SAT. In 1959, the American College Test (ACT) was born. Neither test is biased against minorities – rather they tend to overpredict minority performance in college. Yet, despite persistent group differences, the sentiment is to discontinue use of these tests. Doing so will place more emphasis on other metrics (e.g., high school GPA) that are less reliable, more subjective, and also prone to group differences. Admitting more students who are less likely to graduate comes with costs.
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