
UC makes landmark decision to drop ACT and SAT requirement for admission - enjoyyourlife
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-21/uc-drops-sat-and-act-test-requirement-for-admission
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MattGaiser
The main discussion for this is here:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23266209](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23266209)

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curiousllama
I can't help but wonder at the motivations for these changes, at UC and other
schools. It seems to be a combination of equity (it favors rich kids),
effectiveness (it's not that predictive) and risk aversion (can't prove racist
admissions if there's no standardized comparison).

And yet... I wonder if we're throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
Standardized tests _seem_ like they could be such a such a powerful force for
fairness & efficiency. I wonder that there isn't a way to improve the test -
especially since, at this rate, the SAT could be obsolete in a decade or two.

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abhorrence
I think the problem with standardized tests is that they're standardized; you
can prepare for them. It reduces both the effectiveness and the equity,
because preparation for the tests is something that rich kids will have better
time and access to.

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mamurphy
I read an article, that I can't find now, that convincingly argues that the
SAT is one of the most equalizing factors for privilege. Impressive
extracurricular, recommendation letters, and even grades are easier to buy
than a higher SAT score.

Prep helps, but prep has a limit. A Golf tutor, high tier equipment, admission
to private school with a large golf team, etc. are more easily bought.

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keeganpoppen
as are all the great college recs from all those various coaches, etc.

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swimfar
Also discussed here:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23266209](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23266209)

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adrr
I wonder if the decision was made on data. Is SAT score correlated to college
GPA? Educated guess says high school gpa has a stronger correlation.

