Yesterday, the ACT announced a number of changes to how students will be able to take the standardized test, including the option to retake individual sections. This change has major implications for the tutoring, test prep, and college admissions industries. It will certainly increase the number of students who take the ACT, a change that’s sorely needed—last year was the first time in seven years that fewer students took the ACT than took the rival SAT. But it will also likely increase the number of students who score highly on the ACT. But is that a good or bad thing? Shouldn’t standardized tests aim to measure raw talent, not who studies the most?
I would argue—and so would the ACT—that what standardized tests should measure is a student’s ability to succeed in a rigorous academic environment. And the research shows that a “Super Score” of students’ best section scores is a better method of predicting success in college than the most recent score, an average of all scores, or the highest score in a single sitting. And I have a theory as to why that is—I would argue that the best predictor of future success isn’t raw talent or intelligence, but hard work, grit (also known as persistence or ‘stick-to-it-iveness’) and a growth mindset.
Now, of course, there are many factors that allow a student to apply that grit and stick-to-it-ive-ness to studying for the ACT rather than, say, working a job or supporting family members. But many colleges self-correct for these disparities and have higher expectations for students from privileged backgrounds. It’s understandable: being from a wealthy family is one of the strongest predictors of a high SAT score. And beyond tutoring and time to self-study, even the money to sit for the test multiple times can advantage wealthier students—currently, the ACT only offers low-income students a maximum of two fee waivers for ‘national test date’ exam sittings (i.e., weekend exams). However, an increasing number of high schools administer the ACT or SAT for free during the school day. These changes may also encourage a wider range of students to take the ACT or SAT more than once, which would greatly reduce the current disparity.
So yes, this change advantages students who study for the ACT and retake it multiple times. But that’s not the same as ‘wealthy students.’ There are wealthy students who don’t do this, and middle- and lower-income students who do. I work with a lot of these privileged and high-achieving students who take and retake the ACT or SAT until they score where they want—and I will tell you that they have to work incredibly hard to get real results. Yes, having money and time for tutors and studying helps—but none of it works if the student doesn’t have the willingness and desire to work hard.
Put it this way: who do you think is more prepared to succeed in college, the student who coasted through high school, getting straight A’s and top standardized test scores without really trying or studying, or the student who struggled, who had to fight tooth and nail to make it through or achieve on a high level? It’s not fashionable nowadays to praise hard work over raw talent, but I assure you that if you threw both students into a top college, the first one would have to figure out how to emulate the second’s attitude, fast.
