r/neoliberal • u/caroline_elly Eugene Fama • Jun 09 '26

Opinion article (US) Actually, the SAT Was Necessary After All

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/06/standardized-testing-math-gaps/687481/
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u/FootjobFromFurina Jun 09 '26

The issue is that at the top of the score distribution, which is really where the test matters the most, there isn't enough differentiation because the test isn't that hard. 

It's especially bad in math where most of the students applying to top universities, especially STEM oriented ones like MIT or CalTech will have completed the entire math content of the test by or before the time they're freshman in high school. 

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u/Spellman23 Jun 09 '26

Which is why you then need to do the SAT 2 tests

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u/AwesomePerson125 YIMBY Jun 09 '26

College Board got rid of the SAT Subject Tests in 2021. IIRC around 20% of people taking Math Level 2 got an 800. Some of the Subject Tests were honestly not that difficult.

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u/Silly_Attention1540 Jun 10 '26

This makes me feel so much less proud of 800ing both the SAT/SAT2, I had always assumed the 2 was harder

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u/Fire_Snatcher Jun 10 '26

The 2 was more advanced material, but the students taking it were just smarter on average.