Harvard won’t require SAT or ACT through 2026 as test-optional push grows

Re:Harvard won’t require SAT or ACT through 2026 as test-opt... by lawrenceyan on Friday December 17, 2021 @08:58PM (#29600772)

To be completely fair, I think at least some portions of the SAT are distinctly more difficult without a strong reading background.

You can definitely cram for the grammar / math portions, but the reading comprehension sort of just requires a lot of reading experience. There isn't a rote set of things you can memorize to get a high score, which could arguably be seen as good or bad.

Maybe more practically, we should consider: Do lower income students read less on average? And if so, is the difference greater than their ability to gain access to tutoring services / prep books which can be used for the crammable portions of the exam?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Harvard won’t require SAT or ACT through 2026 as test-opt... by usaar333 on Friday December 17, 2021 @09:44PM (#29601067)

Succeeding in college also requires a strong reading background. The point of the test is to predict college success, not "be fair" (an inherently subjective statement)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Harvard won’t require SAT or ACT through 2026 as test-opt... by civilized on Friday December 17, 2021 @10:31PM (#29601331)

This theory would make sense if the hardest questions showed the most racial disparity, but it's actually the easiest questions that do, according to the papers cited by jedberg.

[ Parent | on HN ]