SAT and ACT tests were mandatory for college admissions pre-2020. Many universities waived them during COVID-19 when testing was shut down across the country. Now, four years later, universities are beginning to discuss the decisions of whether or not to require these tests again.

SAT and ACT tests should not be mandatory for college admissions.

Among the first colleges to start this trend are Dartmouth, MIT and Georgetown University. These colleges are raising concerns about these standardized tests and their effectiveness in aiding students’ acceptance into elite universities.

Students vary in their background, which may influence the way they learn, resulting in disadvantages for students as standardized testing only caters to certain methods of learning or topics. 

Factors such as race and social class have presumably been argued to sway SAT and ACT scores since before the pandemic. Following the withdrawal of standardized test scores, these arguments were strengthened by more concrete evidence that showed how much racial and socioeconomic diversity grew.

An opinion article from “The Washington Post” states that a study conducted by the New York Times found in the 1300-1600-point SAT range, 38 percent of students who are marked within the top 0.1% of wealth earn these scores. This article also says that 60% of white students and 80% of Asian students meet the threshold for elite institution acceptance.

These racial and socioeconomic factors were better improved when the SAT and ACT scores were dismissed from college applications. While high school GPA is considered within academic scholarships, most colleges lean toward the test scores as the determining figure in how much a student can receive in institutional aid.

“Fortune” said the score requirements that Yale will implement begin in Fall 2024, requiring students to submit a score for any one of the following: SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement (AP) test or International Baccalaureate exam.

In the same article, Yale’s dean of admissions and financial aid Jeremiah Quinlan said, “Standardized tests are imperfect and incomplete alone, but I also believe scores can help establish a student’s academic preparedness for college-level work.”

Standardized tests are imperfect and incomplete alone, but they should not even be considered with anything else. These tests only cater to certain aspects of learning, testing students on limited topics, providing all students with the same test regardless of them being in different learning environments and providing students who excel at test-taking with an unfair advantage. When students have a weak topic, it greatly hinders their overall test scores.

The SAT and ACT requirements encourage unfair assumptions about student’s academic performances based on a single test score. Many students could uphold a high GPA in school but be bad test takers due to conditions such as stress or anxiety. Leaving the fate of every students’ academic acceptance and scholarship on one test is not understanding of other factors.

Not every student is the same, so they should not be treated as such.

Creating a standardized test will never work for an entire nation where everyone is different. The SAT and ACT scores can benefit a very select group of students, but it is not fair to the majority who dread taking it and reap the disadvantages of an “insufficient” test score.

A student should not be defined by their test score. Everything else, such as GPA, extracurricular activities or notable achievements, should determine a student’s acceptance into a college. Augustana is test-optional and other schools should follow its lead, as SAT and ACT scores should not be a factor in college admissions.