Each year, thousands of American students take standardized entrance exams, taking for granted that the tests are a fair measure of their achievement. However, data compiled about widely taken standardized tests like the SAT show that on average, exam scores increased by a significant margin as household income increased. This economic correlation leaves the standardized tests in an uncomfortable position: The tests are supposed to give every student an equal chance at success, not just those who have the resources to prepare thoroughly.
To prove just how biased standardized entrance exams are, one simply need look at the published SAT scores organized by the College Board. According to their records, a student whose family earns less than $20,000 per year scored, on average, 887 out of 1600. On the other hand, a student whose family earned more than $100,000 can expect to score an average of 1126 out of 1600.
These shockingly disparate figures can be explained by the increasing importance of the SAT on college applications in recent years. Our generation is sending more students to college than any generation before. As a result, more applicants are vying for the same number of seats at top universities. College admissions officers use the SAT in an attempt to objectively evaluate applicants. The irony of the SAT is that it is curved to form a normal distribution. Therefore, in an attempt to objectively evaluate a student, the exam fabricates clear lines of differences between applicants that were not necessarily there.
The SAT now carries more weight on college applications than ever before. Test preparation, however, varies widely among students depending on their socioeconomic backgrounds. Test prep is therefore one of the major causes of the score disparity. Wealthier students get coaching from private tutors and private SAT classes, which can costs hundreds, if not thousands of dollars; this puts them out of reach for lower-income students. These comprehensive classes and tutoring sessions improve scores by teaching students tricks to beat the exam and by removing students’ anxiety through constantly taking practice exams. In comparison, many lower-income students prepare only by using a review book, if they prepare at all.
Thankfully, these disparities have not gone unnoticed. There is a large, determined and vocal group criticizing the faults of the SAT. In a speech at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Harvard Law School professor Lani Guinier suggested that the SAT be renamed a “wealth test.” Although many agree that the SAT must be replaced, there is relatively little consensus on what to do about the test in the future.
One option that has gained traction in many small liberal arts schools is to make the SAT optional on an application. This addresses the issue by allowing students with low SAT scores the same chance as students with high SAT scores. Another far more comprehensive solution to the problem is to adopt European-style college entrance examinations. These exams are taken by high school seniors across Europe and are designed to test knowledge of specific subjects rather than the “innate intelligence” that the SAT claims to gauge. Since the European-style subject exams are testing knowledge, students must put in the time and study, regardless of their socioeconomic status. While the SAT may have served a purpose when it was created early in the 20th century, it is clear that it is time for a change.