The Academic Aptitude Test, or SAT, allows college admissions officers to better assess students’ knowledge and ability to succeed in a college environment.
Well not really.
The very history of the SAT is rooted in racism and classism that illustrate the racial and class divides that exist in this country.
According to information from Atlantic, the SAT was created by Princeton alum and eugenicist Carl Brigham in 1926. As he states in his book, the test was intended to prove the racial superiority of white Americans. While the modern test is not purposely used to disenfranchise minorities, its very structure does just that.
The SAT tests students on the knowledge they are expected to have learned throughout high school, but in a system that disproportionately supports the success of affluent white students, poor non-white schools are at a disadvantage before even opening the test. According to American Newson average, poor non-white students receive $2,600 less in annual funding per student than affluent white students.
The test essentially becomes a pay-to-win system, as already wealthy students often use outside help such as test prep classes and SAT tutors to further improve their test scores, leaving behind those who cannot. afford such resources. Additionally, the ability to take the test as many times as students want only widens the gap between classes. While some students have the option of taking the test three, four, or even five times for a small price of $52, that price is very different for students who can only afford to take the test once.
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The test essentially becomes a pay-to-win system, as already wealthy students often use outside help such as test prep classes and SAT tutors to further improve their test scores, leaving behind those who cannot. afford such resources.
– Jared Leonard ’22
All of these factors combine to reinforce the disparities that poorer non-white students already face throughout their lives. While these students do their best to achieve high scores on the test, the insane elements working against them make this task nearly impossible. According to College Council55% of Asian-American students and 45% of white applicants scored 1200 or higher in 2019, while only 12% of Hispanic students and 9% of black students achieved those same scores.
The idea of reforming the SAT into a test that excludes factors like wealth and race seems like a tall order, but the idea of scrapping the test altogether has become a likely possibility in recent years. Some universities, including top schools such as Wake Forest University and the University of Chicago, chose to take elective tests several years ago, and other schools are following in their footsteps. According to Fair try, more than 1,230 colleges and universities have made the SAT and ACT optional for admission over the past decade. the The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted SAT tests greatly and as more and more universities view the scores with less weight, the test could very well become obsolete in the not so distant future.
The SAT clearly does not adequately describe student merit or college readiness, and schools should instead place more weight on other more credible factors. Colleges should take a closer look at how students challenged themselves in their high school classes and letters of recommendation to understand who the students are, rather than their ability to select the correct answer to multiple-choice questions that work actively against them.
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