🚨 SAT & ACT Are Back: Why Test Scores Just Became America’s Equalizer Again

For years, critics predicted the death of the SAT and ACT. But the opposite is happening: America’s most elite universities are bringing back standardized testing.

Harvard. Yale. Dartmouth. MIT. Caltech. Stanford. The list grows by the month.

And their message is clear: merit still matters.

📉 The Test-Optional Experiment Failed

During COVID, more than 1,800 colleges went test-optional, promising greater access and equity. Instead, the results showed the opposite:

• Applications surged 30–60% at top schools, but acceptance rates hit record lows. Harvard admitted just 3.2% of applicants in 2022, the lowest in history.
• Low-income and minority students were hurt the most. Without test scores, admissions relied more on extracurriculars, essays, and recommendations — advantages skewed heavily toward wealthy families.
• Ivy League data proved the gap. A 2023 Opportunity Insights study at Harvard found that SAT/ACT scores were a stronger predictor of college performance than GPA, especially across high schools with inconsistent grading standards.

Put simply: test-optional made admissions less fair, not more.

📊 Why Colleges Are Reversing Course

The data forced universities to rethink:

• MIT (2022): Reinstated testing because without SAT/ACT scores, admissions “could not identify students who would thrive here — especially those from less-advantaged backgrounds.”
• University of California Research (2020): Found SAT scores predicted college success more consistently than GPA, across all income and racial groups.
• Harvard Study (2023): Students with strong test scores from under-resourced schools often outperformed peers from elite private schools with inflated GPAs.

Tests aren’t perfect, but they remain the fairest national standard.

💡 What Families Need To Know

The return of testing has huge implications:

• 🎓 Admissions Edge: Strong SAT/ACT scores can be the difference between rejection and admission at top schools.
• 💰 Scholarship Power: Many universities directly tie $10,000–$250,000 in merit aid to test scores.
• 🏦 Tax-Free Prep: Thanks to new federal reforms, families can now use 529 College Savings Plans to pay for SAT/ACT prep — tax-free.

Preparation today could mean hundreds of thousands in savings tomorrow.

⚖️ Why This Is a Victory for Meritocracy

America works best when opportunity is based on effort, discipline, and talent — not legacy status or family wealth.

• Your family income doesn’t determine your SAT score.
• Your last name doesn’t determine your ACT score.
• Preparation does.

As a first-generation student who earned a perfect SAT score and a full-ride scholarship to medical school, I know firsthand: one test score can change your life.

🚀 The Bottom Line

The SAT and ACT are back — and not by accident. Universities have admitted what I’ve believed all along: standardized tests are one of America’s last great equalizers.

Now it’s time for students and families to act:

• Start preparing early.
• Use every tool available.
• Treat test prep as an investment — not an expense.

Because at the intersection of preparation and opportunity, meritocracy is born.

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Dr. Shaan Patel is a Shark Tank winner, bestselling author, and founder of Prep Expert®, an education company that has helped over 100,000 students improve test scores, win scholarships, and gain admission to top universities. He scored a perfect SAT and is passionate about expanding access to education worldwide.