In a recent round of meetings of the Graduate School and academic program leaders at UNC Charlotte, a question surfaced that is being debated broadly in academic circles: Are standardized test scores like the GRE still a valid tool for determining readiness for graduate education?
An article in online magazine OZY last October, suggests maybe not. The article details a number of GRE shortcomings and lists a number of colleges and universities that are relying less on standardized testing. “Research from Yale and Vanderbilt shows that the test is only a modest predictor of success for first-year grad students,” the article said. “Other studies reveal huge gender- and race-related disparities.”
An earlier downloadable study published by researchers from the University of Wisconsin and Detroit’s Wayne State University Law School in 2014 takes a contrarian view: “…since the year 2000, in particular, total enrollment growth has been stronger for minorities than for whites, and stronger for women than for men. This would not occur were the GRE selectively suppressing the admission of women and minorities.”
Finally, in a downloadable report published in 2016 entitled Holistic Review in College Admissions, the Council of Graduate Schools recommends relying less on quantitative scores and more on “a broad range of candidate qualities including “noncognitive” or personal attributes.”
What do you think? Start the conversation: Share your experience with standardized test scores below.
ETS recently published an article with another take on this issue. Take a look: http://news.ets.org/stories/problem-graduate-admissions-culture-not-testing/