Do you think colleges and universities should require standardized tests for undergraduate admission?

👍 Yes (33%) – "There needs to be some sort of objective measure of intelligence, because without one it becomes more likely that students who will not thrive in the program/school will be admitted, setting them up for failure. Obviously, however, the score on the standardized test should not be the only factor considered."

• "While not perfect, the SAT and ACT give schools a snapshot of how a student performs compared to other students. Grades on a report card are subjective. Letters of recommendation are, too. The standardized tests mostly are not."

👎 No (54%) – "Like anything in a students portfolio, a test score should be an optional submission if they want to showcase how good they are at tests, but there are other ways to showcase your knowledge and aptitude that may be more representative than a standardized test."

• "While I understand and support the goal of trying to have a truly objective evaluation of someone’s academic capabilities, more and more studies are showing that standardized tests favor higher income students. For that reason I think that lessening the importance, or removing completely the requirement for standardized testing is the best thing to do while working to evaluate a better mechanism for the desired type of objective criteria for prospective students."
• "Standardized tests are not generalizable to the skills needed to be successful in programs. They test specific knowledge but also the ability to take tests and tailor studying to the test. They don't test emotional intelligence, cooperation, and other soft skills that are equally as important in graduate programs and later careers."

🤷‍♀️ Unsure/other (13%) – "I think it’s important to have standards for admission, if only to make sure that the time/money/energy of both the student and the university are not thrown away because a person isn’t ready or isn’t a good fit for college. On the other hand, tests aren’t the only way to measure knowledge and preparedness, and can actually weed out people who, if measured any other way, would be highly sought after."