By Monika Gerges
University of California (UC) voted to drop SAT and ACT exam requirements for undergraduate admissions on May 20. The system plans to create a new UC-specific standardized test for admissions by 2025 or get rid of an admissions exam altogether.
UC’s landmark decision is beneficial for students and is necessary considering how flawed the exams are and the various disparities that create a bias between test-takers.
We all know that the SAT and ACT are not good exams and predictors of academic success. Rather than assessing student performance and knowledge, they assess how well students know the nature of these three-hour exams and how advanced their test-taking and strategic guessing skills are.
Given all the work that students do throughout their four years of high school, one exam should not have so much weight in the admissions process. Now that UC is dropping SAT and ACT requirements, a student’s high school transcript will be looked at more holistically, which is a better representation of a student’s abilities, commitments and performance throughout their entire high school career.
The SAT and ACT are also not fair for many reasons. Many students go to prep and tutoring classes, which are mindbogglingly expensive. Revolution Prep, an online tutoring service, offers SAT and ACT courses that range from $1,199 to $7,199.
While there are students who self-study for exams, it’s obvious that students who attend rigorous and professional prep classes often have a leg up. But, only families that can invest in such a large sum can have their children do well on the SAT and ACT. Disadvantaged students have to compete with those who have access to quality preparatory material. Therefore, the decision to stop using the SAT/ACT as a determinator for student acceptance creates a fair playing field for all students.
It has also been proven that the SAT and ACT are not as secure as they seem to be and there have been many instances of cheating which prove that it is not a fair system. For example, just a year ago, many parents paid to have other individuals take their children’s SAT exams or adjust their scores.
The 2019 college admissions scandal shows how easily SAT and ACT scores can be manipulated. The fact that this occurred proves that money can guarantee a high score on these exams, whether it be by buying scores or enrolling in pricey prep courses.
With the recent backlash surrounding the 2020 Advanced Placement exams, it is more important than ever for college systems to stop relying on College Board.
This year’s AP Exams were not equitable for all students, such as international students taking AP exams in the middle of the night and low-income students taking the exam in awkward locations for WiFi access. It’s obvious that once again, College Board was not considerate of all students and those of a more affluent background were able to do better in this system. For this reason, the UC’s system of neglecting the SAT/ACT is a step in the path of straying away from College Board altogether.
This landmark decision coming from one of the most prominent and prestigious university systems in the nation could change the future of college admissions tests altogether. With the power of the UC system, many universities may soon follow ahead and neglect the SAT and ACT. This may even lead to a halt of the usage of standardized exams to determine student capability.
Students have been taking the SAT/ACT exams for years and the UC’s decision to stop the usage of the exams is a significant decree. Although many are considering this to be a bad idea, dropping the SAT/ACT system is a paramount decision that creates a more fair learning environment for all students, which standardized exams did not allow.
