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Colleges are shifting away from SAT scores, recognizing that true academic potential goes beyond standardized test results.
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In recent years, an increasing number of colleges and universities have adopted test-blind or test-optional admissions policies, allowing students to apply without submitting Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores.
This shift gained significant momentum in 2020, when the covid-19 pandemic disrupted students’ ability to take the SAT. Now, what started as a temporary measure should become permanent.
Standardized tests have played a major role in education for many years, with frequent district-wide tests being held throughout the year to measure students’ academic ability.
When it comes to college admissions, students shouldn’t be judged heavily based on a single exam. Luckily, progress has been made as universities realize this.
Currently, over 1,600 universities have adopted a test-optional policy, giving students a choice in whether they want to submit their SAT score.
The declining use of the SAT reflects the truth — the SAT is an imperfect and insufficient measure of intelligence.
Simply put, the SAT does not show how successful a student will be on a college campus, nor does it reflect their full abilities or potential.
The SAT’s inability to predict college success stems from its inherent bias. Students from more privileged backgrounds often have access to SAY prep courses and other resources designed specifically to boost scores.
Meanwhile, students from less privileged backgrounds, who may be just as smart and hardworking, aren’t afforded the same opportunities.
Eliminating the heavy reliance on SAT scores represents a critical and correct turning point in how we define academic intelligence.
A student’s years of hard work and dedication to their education should not be undermined by one test score.
As a society, we are growing to understand that standardized tests fail to capture the full essence of a student’s capabilities. If universities are able continue this upward trend, then our education system will be better off.