Yale has announced a change to their admission policy: tests are required once again. According to World Class Tutoring’s Jon Welsh, “standardized tests are coming back because they are good indicators of strengths and weaknesses that predict or reflect a student’s aptitude and readiness for success in college. In other words, they are a reliable diagnostic for a student’s current knowledge base and problem-solving skills measured against a college’s expected outcomes.” Jeremiah Quinlan, dean of Yale’s undergraduate admissions, told The New York Times that “simply put, students with higher scores have been more likely to have higher Yale G.P.A.s, and test scores are the single greatest predictor of a student’s performance in Yale courses in every model we have constructed.”
Since the onset of the covid pandemic in 2020, Yale, along with almost every university in the country, allowed students to apply without sending any test scores. This was a necessity since the SAT and the ACT were cancelled in many locations. The test-optional policy turned out to be popular for more reasons than just the pandemic. Students loved that there was one less test to take – who wouldn’t? Colleges experienced a surge in the number of applicants, which allowed them to deny more applications and look more competitive. Pundits and social media influencers pushed the idea that the SAT and ACT contributed to discrimination and inequality. However, the data that Yale and other universities collected in their four years of following a test-optional policy showed that the opposite may be true.
Similar to M.I.T. and Dartmouth, Yale found that an increased emphasis on more subjective measures, like extra-curricular activities, teacher recommendations, and application essays have the effect of “advantaging the advantaged.” Even high school transcripts can lead to inequality because high schools in wealthier zip codes can offer more advanced courses and can be susceptible to grade inflation.
The SAT and ACT, while far from perfect, can be less susceptible to income inequality than these other criteria. One reason for this is that admissions officers are able to look at SAT and ACT scores within a certain context. If you attend a high school with an average SAT score of 1200, your 1300 might not look that impressive. However, if your high school has an average SAT score of 950, the same 1300 makes you a true standout. One problem with the test optional policies of the past four years is that many students who would have been helped by their SAT or ACT scores chose not to send them with their other application materials. These were often the students who came from the more disadvantaged backgrounds.
Yale’s new test-flexible policy does have a twist: students will be welcome to submit AP or IB scores in addition to or instead of SAT or ACT scores. The catch is that if they chose to send AP scores, they will have to send all their scores. If other schools follow suit, it will be interesting to see how this will impact American education. Today’s most competitive high schoolers might take a dozen or more AP exams. Plus, unlike the SAT and ACT, an AP test can only be taken once. It seems possible that if this policy becomes more widespread, the most ambitious students will start to take fewer AP classes, and only the ones that they are confident they will test well in.
For now, the only known in the college application landscape is that there are more changes to come. As those changes materialize, the team at World Class Tutoring will research the nuances and adjust the guidance we provide to our students and their families. As always, the main takeaway for students is that whether you are studying for the SAT, ACT, AP test, or IB exam that effort will not only help you get into college but will set you up for more success when you get there.
Keep Reading:
Yale announces new test-flexible admissions policy (Yale News)
Yale reinstates Standardized Test Scores for Admissions (The Wall Street Journal)
Yale will again require standardized test scores for admission (The Washington Post)
Yale to Require Standardized Test Scores for Admissions (The New York Times)
Inside the Yale Admissions Office (Podcast)
Standardized Testing Requirements & Policies (Yale University Admissions Office)
Photo by Ben Mullins on Unsplash
