Do I need to take the SAT and ACT? A Guide for Students and Families

Introduction: The Role of Testing in Today’s Admissions Process

The value of standardized tests has been a subject of fierce debate for years, but lately it has been a source of extra scrutiny. A recent New York Times article by David Leonhardt advocated for standardized tests like the SAT and ACT, highlighting compelling evidence to support the idea that such tests are a stronger predictor of student success at the college level compared to high school GPAs. 

One possible explanation for this is because of a recent educational trend known as grade inflation. With the trifecta of pressure from administrators, parents, and students, teachers often resort to meting out more A’s than what may actually be warranted. Students are now getting higher GPAs than ever before, and it’s not because of better performance. 

Thus, as the study presented in Leonhardt’s article illustrates, high school GPAs do not truly reflect a student’s mastery of academic subjects. What recent research has found is that standardized test scores actually can be a more reliable indicator of a student’s knowledge. This revelation was like kicking a hornet’s nest in the educational field. 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many universities have waived test scores as a requirement for admission. This decision was based on the widespread disruption to standardized testing schedules and closing test centers, but as a sense of normalcy returned, standardized test scores as a part of the admissions process did not. People began to question if standardized tests were actually needed—that is, if they offered any worthwhile benefits to students or to the colleges admitting them.  Pedagogic experts and self-proclaimed pundits alike were quick to offer opinions on the value of standardized testing, and it quickly became one of the most divisive topics in education.

Then, in early February 2024, Dartmouth announced that it would be going back to requiring SAT or ACT scores. They reasoned that test scores serve as a valuable tool to evaluate a student’s academic performance, and, equally important, they can actually benefit students from lower-income backgrounds. 

During the period of Dartmouth’s test-optional policy, many disadvantaged students opted not to submit their test scores, mistakenly believing that only perfect or near-perfect scores were acceptable. However, in reality, numerous students with less-than-perfect scores would have been competitive candidates for admission had they included their scores in their applications. As Dartmouth president Sian Beilock pointed out in a recent New York Times interview, test scores often help in identifying promising candidates that they “might otherwise miss.” With these factors in mind, Dartmouth became the first Ivy League school to reinstate test scores as a requirement for admission (with Yale and Brown following suit mere weeks after the announcement, and Harvard joining them in early April).

While this news certainly came as a shock to many, Dartmouth was not the first prestigious school to backtrack its test-optional policy. In November 2022, MIT asserted its stance on the value of standardized tests, arguing that SAT/ACT scores are an accurate measure of “academic preparedness.” For this reason (among others), MIT announced it would be going back to requiring test scores. 

This decision was not made on a whim. Their research has confirmed time and time again the correlation between SAT/ACT scores and college readiness, confirming that such scores offer one of the most valuable pieces of information that an admissions office could want: a reliable predictive tool for student performance as they continue their academic career. This conclusion stems from years of extensive research, including findings from the University of California’s Standardized Testing Task Force (though, perhaps ironically, it’s worth noting that the University of California system continues to implement a test-blind policy for its own admissions process).  

Consider the primary role of admissions offices: they want to select students they believe will thrive on their campus. These offices are sifting through thousands of applications each year, and they want to make sure they are admitting students who will not only be able to meet academic expectations but will also prove to be an asset to the school. 

Admissions offices recognize that there is more to a student’s application than a test score. But as Yale aptly explains, “an application is like a jigsaw puzzle: the picture is not complete without all its pieces.” Test scores, as it turns out, can be quite a significant piece. 

The bottom line? As more research comes out validating the role of standardized testing, it’s likely that more universities with test-optional policies might just reconsider their stance.