Does the SAT Help Colleges Make Better Selection Decisions?

Abstract

The College Entrance Examination Board and the Educational Testing Service claim that the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) improves colleges' predictions of their applicants' success. James Crouse uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of high school students to calculate the actual improvement in freshman grade point averages, college completion,and total years of schooling resulting from colleges' use of the SAT. He then compares those predictions with predictions based on applicants' high school rank. Crouse argues that the College Board and the Educational Testing Service have yet to demonstrate that the high costs of the SAT are justified by its limited ability to predict student performance.