In the series “Student Voices,” current students write about the reasons they chose Hampshire and how our educational model works from their perspective.
Going from a test-optional college to “test blind”
In June 2014, Hampshire College announced that it is no longer considering SAT or ACT scores for either admissions or financial aid decisions. Previously, Hampshire was a test-optional school, meaning that students were not required to submit SAT or ACT scores, but they could if they wanted to. Now, Hampshire is completely “test blind,” refusing to look at any standardized test scores.
I am a fourth-year student at Hampshire, so I was accepted before this policy was in place. But I was glad to hear about this course of action, and I am in support of it. While standardized testing may play a role in portraying how prepared a student is for college, I don’t think it is reliable in demonstrating the intelligence of every student.
First of all, the environment of standardized testing induces anxiety, which makes it difficult to concentrate. When students take the SATs or ACTs, they are often in an unfamiliar school and in a room full of people they don’t know. On top of that, they are under strict time constraints and under a lot of pressure to get a good score. At least in my experience, the unfamiliar and high-pressure environment made it challenging to think clearly without panicking. Students who don’t work well under pressure or who have trouble with time management are therefore at a disadvantage.
Secondly, standardized testing is based only partly on a student’s breadth of knowledge. In order to achieve a high score, a student additionally needs to have good test-taking skills—which is something that comes naturally to some students but not to others. To answer certain questions, students must have previously memorized specific rules, formulas, or vocabulary in order to choose the right answer. For students who have trouble with memorization, this makes the test much more challenging. To make matters worse, points are subtracted for wrong answers but not for blank answers—meaning that it’s better to not answer a question than to choose an answer you’re not certain is correct. In other words, standardized tests like the SATs and ACTs teach students that it’s better to remain silent than to take risks and make educated guesses.
But perhaps the most significant issue with standardized testing is that it promotes classism and racism. When Hampshire announced its new test-blind policy, the College stated: “The [SATs and ACTs] more accurately reflect family economic status than potential for college success. That standardized testing can pose racial, class, gender, and cultural barriers to equal opportunity is now widely understood …”. Wealthier students tend to be at an advantage when it comes to standardized testing, since they can more easily afford to go to private schools and take outside SAT or ACT preparation courses or tutoring. Whereas, less affluent students are less likely to attend good schools or be able to afford additional classes to prepare them for standardized tests. Students are also at a disadvantage if English is not their first language, especially since a large portion of the test is based on reading comprehension, advanced vocabulary, and writing skills.
While there may be some value in considering SAT and ACT scores, I think standardized testing is disadvantageous for many students. An SAT or ACT score does not measure the full intelligence and potential of a student, nor does it necessarily make one student more worthy of a college education than another. From a student’s point of view, I think Hampshire has made a good decision in becoming test blind.
Turn your ideas into action.
Learn more about Hampshire College.
In the series “Student Voices,” current students write about the reasons they chose Hampshire and how our educational model works from their perspective.
