As we creep further and further into the school year, standardized testing looms on the horizon for many. The PSAT—which is required for sophomores and juniors—will occur here at Concord Academy on Saturday, October 26. Others anxiously prepare for the SAT in December, while some just recently took it in early October. For students, questions abound: Is the SAT or other forms of standardized testing truly necessary? What benefits do such exams provide, and are those benefits worth it? The short answer is: yes. While standardized testing certainly has room for improvement, it undoubtedly provides benefits in the admissions process.
Standardized testing, specifically the SAT, was first administered in 1926 to a group of students applying to Harvard. Previously, most elite schools had entrance exams specific to that college or university. This inspired the College Board to come together and create the SAT. The decision to create a universal exam was rooted less in the desire for a standardized system and more in the desire for exclusivity. In the early-to-mid 1900s, many elite colleges became worried about an increasing number of applications from people of color, people of low economic status, and anyone who was not born into a background of wealth, maleness, and whiteness. The SAT was designed with the aim to exclude all who did not fit the American image of privilege.
Although the origins of the SAT are undoubtedly problematic, with some adjustment, the test could become beneficial to more students. The principle of having one piece of the college admissions process be the same for every student, no matter what school they apply for, is a good one. With a shift to provide easier access to the test itself and resources to prepare for it, especially for those whom the test was originally designed to exclude, the SAT could become more beneficial. Were schools to return to having individual tests, students—who are already extremely busy—would have far more studying to do than they currently do.
Furthermore, the SAT provides a definitive score that can be applied to all students from all schools. CA calculates GPAs entirely differently from the majority of other schools, all of which calculate GPAs entirely differently from one another. The SAT is calculated the same for every student. The evaluation of essays, another critical piece of a student’s college application, is subjective. The score on the SAT, on the other hand, is objective—it is a solid, non-negotiable number.
However, this does not mean the SAT cannot be improved for students. This year, we have heard countless stories of students being denied accommodations for learning differences, prohibiting them from succeeding. This is where the need for change comes in. Shifting the SAT's focus from a difficult test that does not provide what is needed, to the one truly objective piece of the application, is what is needed. Allowing easier access to accommodations, creating more flexibility with test dates, and designing easier-to-access resources are all ways to improve the SAT. With this, the SAT could move away from its history of exclusion and amplify the benefits it currently provides.
The basic principle of standardized testing for college admissions is a good one. It provides one piece of the application that is not different nor subjective from school to school. The SAT’s history of exclusion is what makes it difficult and terrible for some. However, with the proper steps, the SAT could become more inclusive. So, what needs to be done is a shift of focus for the SAT. The SAT needs to focus on being the one standardized component of the college application—a fair leveling of the field that provides a universal, objective score.