MIT reinstates SAT/ACT requirement after COVID-19 pause

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced Monday that it would be reinstating its standardized testing requirements for the 2022-2023 application cycle after suspending it last year due to the high risks and low availability of in-person testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The world-renowned university said in a statement that it believes requiring the test leads to more equitable admissions for applicants than making it optional.

“After careful consideration, we have decided to reinstate our SAT/ACT requirement for future admissions cycles,” it wrote.

“Our research shows standardized tests help us better assess the academic preparedness of all applicants, and also help us identify socioeconomically disadvantaged students who lack access to advanced coursework or other enrichment opportunities that would otherwise demonstrate their readiness for MIT. We believe a requirement is more equitable and transparent than a test-optional policy.”

This argument runs counter to those made by universities that have dropped the standardized test requirement, such as the University of California system, who said eliminating the SAT/ACT would reduce bias, like unequal access to test prep and wide disparities on race.

MIT addressed the correlation between performance on the SAT/ACT and socioeconomic status by arguing income levels also affected “just about every other factor admissions officers can consider, including essays, grades, access to advanced coursework, and letters of recommendation, among others.”

The Cambridge university said that the predictive power of standardized testing in student success was likely due to the emphasis of math in its coursework. All MIT students, regardless of major, must pass two semester of calculus and two semesters of calculus-based physics as part of their General Education Requirements.

MIT said that the SAT/ACT would still be only one factor of their “holistic admissions process,” noting that other factors would still be taken into account.

It also cited the upcoming digital SAT for making standardized testing even more accessible despite COVID.