The SAT has been under fire for many years. Some say that it’s unfair and should be dropped entirely. More recently, some say that it has been dumbed down, so colleges should use another test.

In today’s Martin Center article, Priscilla Rodriguez, who works for the College Board, defends the continuing usefulness of the SAT.

What about the argument that the SAT is now easier? Rodriguez writes:

The most common argument that the digital SAT is easier centers on its shorter reading passages. But that’s a critique that misses the point.

The shorter reading passages aren’t about reducing rigor; the passages reflect the same levels of complexity and academic language as did earlier versions of the test. Students now read 54 passages of up to 150 words and respond to one high-quality question associated with each. What this means is they now have more time to read each passage closely and engage more deeply with each question, rather than skimming long passages for keywords to help them quickly answer a block of questions.

Furthermore, there has been no change in student performance.

Why use the SAT? Rodriguez continues, “In study after study, including independent reviews from MIT and the University of Texas at Austin, SAT scores have been highly correlated with future academic performance and later career success. That’s exactly what you would expect from a test carefully designed to rigorously evaluate a student’s academic strengths.”

Maybe the SAT is worth keeping.