[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-266565-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-266565-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","the-use-of-standardized-testing-in-admissions-summary-of-key-findings-april-2024","The Use of Standardized Testing in Admissions - Summary of Key Findings - April 2024","","The report evaluates how standardized testing policies affect Cornell’s undergraduate admissions after the COVID-era suspension and subsequent updates. It compares score-free and test-optional colleges and analyzes whether submitting SAT/ACT scores changes admission chances, alters socioeconomic and racial/ethnic composition, and improves student outcomes. Updated findings from Fall 2021 and Fall 2022 show no clear increase in first-year diversity, strong statistically significant effects of test-score submission on admissions probabilities, and better academic outcomes for students admitted with known scores.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/","Exam",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-use-of-standardized-testing-in-admissions-summary-of-key-findings-april-2024/266565/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-use-of-standardized-testing-in-admissions-summary-of-key-findings-april-2024/266565.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Felix Montgomery","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-21","2026-09-14",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",14,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"Why did Cornell suspend the SAT/ACT score requirement in April 2020?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Cornell suspended the requirement largely due to logistical difficulties accessing testing locations during the COVID pandemic, and to address concerns that standardized tests may undermine admissions goals.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"Do test-optional admissions policies change admission chances based on submitted test scores?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Yes. In Cornell’s test-optional colleges, submitting official test scores has a substantial and statistically significant impact on admission chances.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Does relaxing the testing requirement increase diversity among matriculating first-year students?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The report finds no clear indication that relaxing the testing requirement increased the diversity of matriculating first-year students.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},266565,1789409051,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,95,100,105,110,115,120,123,127],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},70,"exam",{"id":96,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":101,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":112,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":116,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":117,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":119},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":118,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":122},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":124,"slug":126},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":128,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":129,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":130},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":132},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":133,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":33,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":106,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":80,"read_time":144},549768064778,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","The Use of Standardized Testing in Admissions: Summary of Key Findings  \nApril 2024  \nIntroduction  \nIn April 2020, Cornell suspended the requirement for SAT/ACT exam scores for undergraduate applications for admission. This was largely a response to the logistical difficulties accessing testing locations with the onset of the COVID pandemic, but the decision also eased some concerns that the flaws that inhere in standardized tests undermine some of Cornell’s admissions goals.  \nAs shown in Table 1, four of the undergraduate colleges adopted “scorefree” policies (where test scores that have been provided to Cornell by the testing agencies are not uploaded into the admissions data reviewing system 1), and the remaining colleges have “test-optional” policies (where official test scores are easily available to the reader and may inform the admission decision) .  \nIn the spring semester of 2023—following two cycles of fall first year admissions—the Provost charged a Task Force on Testing in Admissions to look at the impact of removing the testing requirement by considering the following questions:  \n• Does the submission of test scores alter admission chances in the test-optional colleges?  \n• Do test-optional or score-free admissions policies impact the socioeconomic or racial/ethnic composition of admitted students?  \n• Is there evidence that the use of test scores enhances student outcomes at Cornell?  \nThe Task Force delivered a confidential report in May 2023 that summarized findings relating to the matriculating cohorts of Fall 2021 and Fall 2022.  \n1 If an applicant self-reports scores on the Common Application, those scores are viewable through a PDF of the application materials in both “score-free” and “test-optional” colleges. In the score-free colleges, reviewers are asked not to consider those scores.  \nAt the request of the Provost, these analyses were updated in the spring of 2024 by the office of Institutional Research & Planning. The updated findings, described below, reinforce and extend the more tentative conclusions from the earlier report.  \nNotable findings from both rounds of analyses include:  \n• There is not a clear indication that the relaxation of the testing requirement has increased the diversity of matriculating first year students.  \n• In Cornell’s “test optional” colleges (where applicants test scores can be considered in the review process), the submission of test scores has a substantial and statistically significant impact on the chances of being admitted.  \n• Students admitted with known test scores had better academic outcomes than students who were admitted without test scores.  \nOpting to provide test scores   \nOfficial test scores are provided to Cornell by the testing provider at an applicant’s request.2 As shown in Table 1, a minority of applicants had a test score sent to Cornell. In Fall 2023, just 24% of Cornell’s undergraduate applicants provided an official score.  \nTable 1. Percentage of Fall freshman applicants submitting an SAT or ACT score  \n Applicants    Acceptances    Enrolls   \nTest Fall Fall Fall  Fall   Fall   Fall  Fall Fall Fall  \n policy College 2021 2022 2023  2021  2022  2023 2021 2022 2023   \nTest A&S 31% 28% 24%  53% 52% 50%  67% 63% 62%  \noptional Engineering 35% 34% 30%  57% 64% 61%  71% 77% 75% CHE 42% 33% 28%  52% 53% 45%  65% 63% 54% ILR 32% 28% 23%  69% 43% 43%  74% 47% 46%  \n Brooks3 23%   43%  53%   \nScore free CALS 29% 24% 20%  38% 23% 21%  39% 24% 22%  \nAAP 26% 22% 18%  39% 26% 17%  40% 26% 17% JCB-Dyson 27% 19% 12%  39% 18% 11%  40% 18% 11%  \n JCB-Nolan 22% 18% 18%  30% 21% 20%  30% 21% 18%  Total University 31% 28% 24%  50% 44% 42%  59% 50% 48%  \n2 The request to have test scores sent to an institution may occur well before submitting a college application, such at the time of taking the test. This may explain why some students had their scores sent even when they [later?] applied to one of the score-free colleges.  \n3 The Brooks School of Public Policy bec","cbCaiuP7JZodUwLz","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiuP7JZodUwLz","pdf",281751,"English","# Introduction\n## Admissions testing policy timeline\n## Task force questions and updated analyses\n# Notable findings\n## Diversity and composition effects\n## Admission chances in test-optional colleges\n## Student outcome differences\n# Opting to provide test scores\n## Submission rates and applicant strategy\n## Survey-based evidence","[{\"question\":\"Why did Cornell suspend the SAT/ACT score requirement in April 2020?\",\"answer\":\"Cornell suspended the requirement largely due to logistical difficulties accessing testing locations during the COVID pandemic, and to address concerns that standardized tests may undermine admissions goals.\"},{\"question\":\"Do test-optional admissions policies change admission chances based on submitted test scores?\",\"answer\":\"Yes. In Cornell’s test-optional colleges, submitting official test scores has a substantial and statistically significant impact on admission chances.\"},{\"question\":\"Does relaxing the testing requirement increase diversity among matriculating first-year students?\",\"answer\":\"The report finds no clear indication that relaxing the testing requirement increased the diversity of matriculating first-year students.\"}]","The Use of Standardized Testing in Admissions - Summary of Key Findings - April 2024 | PDF",18]