Standardized tests have long been sold as the great equalizer—a clean, quantifiable measure of merit. A simple solution to a complex question: Who deserves access to higher education?
But anyone who has taken these tests—or helped students navigate them—knows that promise is deeply flawed. We’re not measuring potential; we’re measuring proximity to privilege. A perfect SAT score often reflects a student’s zip code more than their intellect.
These exams are framed as essential, even benevolent. But behind the promise of opportunity lies a system that profits from perpetuating barriers.
The Business of “Readiness”
Standardized testing isn’t just a measure of merit—it’s an industry. A multi-billion-dollar one, built on the fears and aspirations of students and families. From the tests themselves to the endless ecosystem of prep courses, private tutoring, and consulting services, every piece of the process comes with a price tag.
Every test registration, every score report, every prep book is another toll in a system that was supposed to be public and fair.
The real truth? Standardized test scores are poor predictors of college success. Study after study has shown that GPA, engagement, and resilience are far stronger indicators of persistence and graduation. Moreover, research consistently shows that standardized tests perpetuate existing inequalities:
Socioeconomic Disparities: Students from affluent backgrounds have access to test prep courses, private tutoring, and educational support, giving them a distinct advantage.
Cultural Bias: Many standardized tests favor certain groups over others, marginalizing students from diverse backgrounds.
Access to Preparatory Materials: In regions where educational resources are scarce, students may lack even the most basic prep materials, further widening the gap.
A Global Crisis
But the problem isn’t limited to one country. Around the world, high-stakes testing has become a defining barrier to opportunity:
India: Elite institutions select students through hyper-competitive entrance exams that reward years of private coaching.
China: The Gaokao remains a national obsession, despite its limitations in assessing creativity or adaptability.
Africa: National exams are still the only ticket to tertiary education, excluding millions who lack quality schooling but not potential.
These systems claim to reward merit, but they often serve to replicate inequality. We call it standardization, but what we’ve built is stratification. For millions of students, a single exam score doesn’t just determine their college options—it defines their future.
Standardized testing assumes everyone starts at the same line. We know that’s not true. So why are we still using outdated tools to measure future potential?
From Selection to Signal
Access to education should not be about selecting the best test-takers. It should be about recognizing the brightest signals of future impact.
What if, instead of judging students by a single test, we evaluated them based on what they’ve learned, built, and contributed—across time, across contexts, and across borders?
We need new models that:
Capture growth over time rather than performance in a single sitting.
Include diverse ways of demonstrating learning—not just essays and exams, but code, campaigns, art, service, speech, etc.
Empower students to own their stories, not just answer someone else’s questions.
New Ideas for a New Era
If standardized tests are flawed, we can’t just tweak around the edges—we need to reinvent how we recognize and measure potential. Here are five fresh ideas to start that conversation:
- AI-Powered Behavioral Simulations
Rather than asking students to regurgitate content, imagine assessing them through interactive, AI-driven simulations that place them in real-world scenarios: resolving a team conflict, managing a budget, adapting to cultural misunderstandings, or navigating ethical dilemmas. Responses would be analyzed for emotional intelligence, adaptability, creativity, and ethical reasoning—the very skills students need to thrive in university and beyond. - Global Problem-Solving Challenges
Instead of an SAT, what if we gave students a global challenge to solve over 10 days—climate change, food insecurity, ethical use of AI—and asked them to submit a response in any format: a policy memo, a podcast, a digital prototype? Universities could assess insight, originality, and collaborative potential—not just test-taking ability. And the best ideas? They wouldn’t earn admission—they’d be funded and implemented. This flips the model: universities would select not just future students, but future contributors to global progress. - Verified Endorsements from Community Impact Networks
Move beyond the traditional “recommendation letter” from a teacher. Let students build a digital profile where community leaders, mentors, nonprofit organizers, peers, or employers vouch for their grit, impact, and leadership—with short, structured testimonials that are verified and timestamped. This gives credit to those doing real work—not just in classrooms, but in their neighborhoods, families, and communities. - Time-Capsule Portfolios
Rather than relying on a four-hour test, why not assess students based on a multi-year learning journey? Imagine a “time capsule” portfolio where students submit a reflection, piece of writing, or project each year from ages 13 to 17. This longitudinal snapshot shows growth, depth, and evolving curiosity—not just last-minute cramming. Universities would gain a dynamic view of potential rather than a static snapshot. - Decentralized, Blockchain-Based Credentials
Let’s go bigger. What if students earned modular, skill-based credentials from a global ecosystem of learning providers—bootcamps, community orgs, NGOs, and more—and stored them on a blockchain-backed transcript? Universities would accept these credentials as part of admission—verified, tamper-proof, and independent of geography or school systems. This creates an open-source model of readiness—especially valuable in underserved regions or conflict zones where formal schooling is disrupted.
A Call to Be Bolder
The problem isn’t just that standardized tests are flawed. It’s that they’ve become a lazy shortcut in a world that demands better thinking. For too long, we’ve mistaken standardization for fairness and gatekeeping for rigor. But if we’re honest, these systems are excluding more than they’re evaluating.
We don’t need another version of the SAT. We need a new mindset.
One that values resourcefulness over rote, real-world impact over rankings, and character over convenience.
Because if we keep measuring potential with outdated tools, we’ll keep missing the students who will shape the future—and keep rewarding those simply trained to beat the system.
A world stuck on asking the same old questions will keep missing the minds that hold the answers to our future’s greatest challenges.
Ex Cogitatione, Progressus.
Girish
