A college professor hailed the news that the SAT would be shortened to give students more time as a “game changer” that would benefit most students.
“For decades, educators have viewed speed as a marker of ability or mastery, forcing students to scramble to finish tests. But the race against time does not measure knowledge or intelligence. It assesses the narrower skill of how well students reason under pressure. As a result, timed tests underestimate the capabilities of countless students,” wrote Dr. Adam Grant in a New York Times opinion article.
In 2022, the College Board, which develops and administers the college readiness exam, announced it will shorten the test from three hours to two and allow test takers to use calculators on all math sections, starting next year.
Grant, a psychologist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, thinks this is a good thing because time pressure rewards students for rushing rather than working at a more careful and careful pace.
The College Board announced it would shorten the SAT from three hours to two hours, while also allowing students to use calculators on all math sections. AP
He argues these skills are useless in the real world, where some professions require systematic attention to detail.
“You don’t want a surgeon who rushes through a craniectomy, or an accountant who does your taxes,” he wrote.
There is no evidence that being able to do algebra quickly will help prepare students for the real world, even in jobs that rely on speed, he argued.
“Although it is fast, it is also worth being determined, disciplined and reliable. Yet strangely, the tests that determine students’ grades and help determine their educational and professional fates are rarely designed for consideration. They evaluate students as if they are applying to join the bomb squad or appear on ‘Jeopardy,’” Grant wrote. “Time pressure rewards students who think quickly and superficially – and punishes those who think slowly and deeply.”
The professor pointed to studies that purportedly show more time can narrow the gender gap seen in some math tests, and improve the performance of groups with learning and reading difficulties.
Some parents have tried to take advantage of the extended time given to students with disabilities by faking learning disabilities to “game the system.” Instead, every student should be given this opportunity, he argued.
Dr. Adam Grant points out that there is no evidence that being able to do algebra quickly can help prepare students for the real world. Pasi Salminen
“This madness has to end. If most of the students run out of time, it means the test is too long or the time period is too short,” stressed Grant.
The professor said he suspected the new rules would be a “game changer” in education.
Students should show more confidence and less anxiety when taking tests, and have a “more realistic preview of what it will take to excel in the future,” he argued.
The new rules announced by the College Board could be a game changer in education, as students will feel less rushed under the pressure they already face from taking the SAT exam. AP
“At school, timed trials teach children that success is a sprint. But in life, success is a marathon. Wisdom is less about speed of thought than complexity of thought. Students with the greatest potential are not necessarily those who can quickly produce the correct answer. They are often the ones who take the time to ask the right questions,” he concluded.
When the College Board conducted research on whether giving students more time would change test completion rates, they came up with surprising results.
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“On average, 97 percent of students completed all questions in a section with up to seven minutes for each section,” CEO David Coleman said of the new test to the Times. “It’s time we stopped confusing fast with smart,” he said.
Many colleges dropped college entrance exam requirements during the coronavirus pandemic but some have moved to eliminate these exams altogether, claiming they are biased against students of color.
Columbia University became the first Ivy League school to permanently drop the SAT and ACT standardized test requirements for undergraduate admissions.
Columbia College and its School of Engineering and Applied Sciences announced last March that prospective applicants have the option, but are not required, to submit ACT and SAT scores.
The Associated Press reports that standardized test scores for high school seniors taking the ACT in 2022 are the lowest since 1991.
“The average ACT composite score of the class of 2022 was 19.8 out of 36, marking the first time since 1991 that the average score was below 20. Moreover, an increasing number of high school students failed to meet any of the designated subject area benchmarks. by the ACT — indicates a decline in readiness for college-level coursework,” said a report from October 2022.
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