Does Standardized Testing Still Matter in College Admission?

One of my great friends recently sent me a presentation he gave on whether standardized testing still mattered in college admission.  As a shout out, you can link to his presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/@James_Education.  Similarly, I had a colleague who once shared, “standardized testing is not everything…it’s not nothing either.”  Simple but well said. 

The SAT and ACT are data points that allow colleges to assess one applicant versus another using a similar measuring instrument.  The tests eliminate the differences in grading and high school rigor or curriculum between high schools.  In other words, they allow for some level of consistent measuring instrument between high school students.  From this perspective, I believe standardized tests help the admission process.

Depending on the institution or institutional mission or charter, standardized tests can hold more value at specific institutions than others.  For STEM institutions or those with primary STEM focus, my experience is that standardized testing shows to be a reliable predictor of first-year student success, particularly in math. 

With that context, I will admit, I am not a huge, standardized testing proponent.  I do not believe that standardized tests reliably predict the measure of a student’s ability to succeed in college.  Part of the reason is that I was one of those kids.  I graduated in the top 10% of my high school class and graduated with honors from college but as my best friend used to say, “dude, you have a low number.”   My daughter is also one of those kids.  Unfortunately for her, she is my kid.  We just don’t test well – we grind.  We work.  We overachieve.  So, I have a hard time believing, on a broad level, how a student performs on one day on one test can accurately predict his or her ability to be successful in college.

Also, after doing my due diligence to educate myself on the topic of standardized testing, and in my role as a college administrator, I have come to learn and realize the ethnic and socioeconomic bias associated with standardized tests (whether you are a cynic that says this is intentional or not).  And now, in the age of race neutral admission, requiring standardized tests serves as a meaningful barrier to college admission for, as my colleague referred, more vulnerable students.

From my perspective, requiring standardized tests does not lead to enrolling the most high achieving difference making students as those hard working over achieving students with low standardized test scores will not rise to the top of an applicant pool.  On the opposite end, not using standardized testing at all, given their ability to predict success in STEM related fields, is also a meaningful consideration.  Perhaps the question that should be asked is, to what extent is standardized testing considered when making an admission decision?

I do think institutional type – research or liberal arts, public or private institution – is an important consideration.  For a private research institution in STEM, requiring standardized tests seems to make sense.  However, if socioeconomic or ethnic diversity are important to the institution, requiring standardized tests should be a consideration that can limit access.  For public institutions, whose charter is more on the access side, requiring standardized tests feels like a barrier.  For private liberal arts institutions, that are not solely STEM focused. requiring standardized tests also feels like a barrier. 

For less selective institutions, struggling to stay afloat financially, requiring standardized tests may adversely affect the applicant pool and overall enrollment thus also impacting net tuition revenue and institutional sustainability.   This is a market position factor. 

In considering whether to require standardized test for admission, the word “optional” is important.  Giving students the option to submit standardized tests allows those students who wish them to be considered as part of their application as an option.  It is like submitting a portfolio as part of a fine arts application.  It is an additional data point for consideration that can help highlight an applicant’s competitive edge.  However, giving students the option not to submit a standardized test also allows those overachieving grinding students, who do not test well, to be considered in a competitive admission process.  

Not surprisingly, I come back to the notion of whether standardized testing matters in college admission.  It depends.  Institutional type or charter, STEM curriculum, to some degree market position, or how important ethnic or socioeconomic diversity is as a priority to the institution are all considerations (as well as the priority standardized testing plays) when assessing whether to require standardized tests for admission.