As universities move toward test-optional admissions, the standardized testing industry is at a crossroads. While critics argue that the SAT and ACT perpetuate inequality, others question how colleges can fairly evaluate students without a common metric. If standardized tests disappear, what replaces them?
Host Jacob Hanson sits down with Adil Husain, founder of Emerging Strategy, and PR expert Kristen Plemon to explore the uncertain future of high-stakes testing. They dissect the industry's failure to control its own narrative and the risks of abandoning standardized assessments without a clear alternative. Despite decades of influence, organizations like the College Board and ACT have been surprisingly silent in the debate over their own relevance.
"What we always counsel clients on in terms of PR is when you leave a void, others are going to fill it,” says Plemon. “So you lose that thought leadership. And they have spent decades building this expertise, this trusted brand and credibility. And if they're letting others step in to take that, that's going to erode their brand over time.”
Meanwhile, as test-optional policies become common, data is becoming more skewed—leading to an even more competitive and subjective admissions process. “What’s happening now with test-optional policies is that only students with the highest scores are submitting, which is skewing data and making the admissions process even more competitive,” Plemon adds. “Colleges need a way to fairly compare students, and without a standardized measure, that becomes much harder.”
Without a strong voice from the industry, critics of standardized testing are shaping the conversation. As Husain says, “The criticisms that they're biased or ineffective should be addressed either through improvements or better communication, but simply accepting the criticism and backing off from the debate altogether seems to be a disservice, not only to their business and their employees but to the institutions trying to make objective decisions from a growing number of applicants.”
The future of standardized testing isn’t just about whether the SAT and ACT survive. It’s about whether the education industry can define a better way to assess student readiness—or if test-optional policies are simply shifting the advantage to those with more resources.
