Wealthy students are 13x more likely to ace the SAT. The test turns 100 this year
Source: Fortune ·
The exam has shifted from a 315-question, 97-minute paper test to a two-hour digital format, but wealth gaps in scoring persist.
From the source
In June 1926, the SAT exam was first administered to 8,000 high school students who hoped to attend elite universities. The SAT has undergone many changes since its original form 100 years ago, ranging from how the test is administrated to what kinds of subject matter it covers. One particularly big shift came around 2000, when about 280 colleges and universities allowed applicants to apply without submitting scores for the SAT or the ACT, another common standardized test. Today, approximately 86% of colleges and universities are test-optional. Whether the SAT accurately measures students’ academic strengths continues to be debated. Some research shows that the test offers a strong indication of students’ skills, knowledge and potential for college success. Other research points to fundamental flaws of SAT and ACT testing, including that students from higher-income families tend to have higher SAT scores. The test, after all, costs money to take, and wealthier families can afford…