By Alison Harner ‘24
As of early February 2024, Dartmouth College, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, will once again be requiring SAT or ACT scores from all applicants. This will begin next year with the class of 2029. Like most schools, the Ivy League switched to a test optional requirement in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when access to testing and resources was limited.
The reason the school is switching back is that a test conducted by the school gives evidence that submitting scores may have helped less advantaged students, especially first-generation applicants, stand a higher chance in the admissions process. Many of these students declined to submit scores, though their GPA and other involvement suggested that their scores were more than satisfactory to admissions.
A co-author of the study, Bruce Sacerdote, expressed disappointment after seeing the high scores that rejected students did not submit. He told NPR that having some of these scores could have kept applicants in the running for longer and may even have changed their admissions decision. By requiring scores, the school hopes to unveil the competency of its applicants by getting the full picture of their skills and knowledge.
The SAT is an excellent way to determine a student’s knowledge compared to other applicants, but many factors other than intelligence contribute to the numerical score a test taker receives. Learning disabilities, study resource availability, home life, and more can all be a help or hindrance when it comes to standardized testing.
On the other hand, students at a prestigious and selective school such as Dartmouth need to be prepared for a rigorous curriculum, not to mention plenty of difficult exams. The school claims that their reasoning for requiring scores is because they want to see the full picture for all applicants, but it may be possible that they want to avoid admitting students who intentionally steer clear of challenging classes and strategize a flawless application, minus the truth-telling test score. Once those students are admitted, they aren’t fully prepared for the academic rigors of an Ivy League, and are simply applying for the name.
All in all, it will be an interesting experiment to see how the standardized testing world has been changed in pandemic recovery. Dartmouth’s choice for the class of 2029 may compel other schools to do the same, especially other Ivy Leagues, who may also be witnessing the negative side effects of an SAT-less applicant pool.
Sources
Nadworny, Elissa. “Dartmouth Will Again Require SAT and ACT Scores, After a Pandemic Pause.” NPR, 5 Feb. 2024, www.npr.org/2024/02/05/1229223433/sat-act-diversity-dartmouth-college-admissions.