The New York Times supports the use of standardized tests (like the ACT and SAT) in undergraduate admissions

See A Great University Undermines Its Mission. Excerpts:

"The committee concluded that scores on the SAT and ACT, the main standardized tests for college admissions, did a better job measuring student readiness for college than high school grades. High test scores were particularly good at finding talented students from low-income families and underrepresented minority groups. For these reasons, the committee recommended the system continue to require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores.

The university’s leaders disregarded the report."

"the University of California began refusing to accept SAT or ACT scores, even from students who wanted to submit them"

"University leaders wrongly claimed that it would make admissions fairer and more equitable."

"The results have been terrible. At the University of California, San Diego, a faculty group last year reported “a steep decline in the academic preparation” among entering students. Last fall, for example, nearly 12 percent of first-year U.C.S.D. undergraduates were not qualified to take precalculus, a low-level class — up from only 0.5 percent in 2020." 

"Reading and writing skills have also deteriorated, and professors say they must spend time teaching elementary skills."

"the declines in preparedness among University of California students are larger than the regression elsewhere"

"[they] have essentially randomized aspects of the admissions process, admitting unprepared students while rejecting many who could thrive there."

"Even Janet Napolitano, who was the university president in 2020 and recommended a test-blind policy then, now favors its reversal."

"The critics claim that the two tests are biased and therefore a cause of inequities. The evidence indicates otherwise. Raj Chetty, a Harvard University economist, points out that other tests show similarly large economic and racial gaps. One example is the NAEP, a test of elementary and middle-school students for which almost nobody studies. This pattern suggests that SAT tutoring, which critics often blame for score gaps, plays only a limited role, perhaps because free tutoring is available from Khan Academy and elsewhere."

"The SAT and ACT . . . do appear to measure preparedness for highly selective colleges better than almost any other indicator, research shows." 

"Some other parts of applications — like student essays, extracurricular activities and teacher recommendations — are, in fact, biased toward affluent students."

"In 1970 only 7 percent of college freshmen nationwide had a high-school grade average of A or higher; today the share is roughly 40 percent."

"Any fair, reliable test would have results resembling those of the SAT and ACT."

"the test scores are especially useful at identifying strong students from low-income communities. When such a student receives even a pretty good score, it can be a sign of high potential."