Imagine if one test score could dictate the rest of your life. For millions of students who take the ACT and SAT each year, it’s a reality.

The pandemic in 2019 greatly reduced the number of universities that required students to submit an ACT or SAT score, switching to test-optional. However, the significance placed on ACT scores continued as many states still require students to take the ACT, and some universities require a score to be submitted to apply. 

When researching universities, students typically find statistics on the average GPA and ACT or SAT score of those admitted, allowing them to form a goal for their score. The average test taker takes the ACT or SAT at least twice as many students do not achieve their desired score the first time. Doing so gives them the chance to submit their scores to universities with a higher likelihood of receiving an acceptance letter. But this is not an option for every student. 

This disparity is shown as early as the third grade as students who qualify for free lunch already began to score noticeably lower on tests than students who do not. The quality of education offered to students can vary based on socioeconomic income, putting some children at a disadvantage the day they are born. The costs associated with each test further hinder them. 

The value placed on scores from the ACT and SAT has created a lucrative market for those willing to tutor students. Currently, a tutor for the ACT costs $40 - 200 dollars an hour and an SAT tutor costs $45 - 100. The recommended amount of time to study for each test is 10 hours. If a student is paying for a quality tutor, the cost would be at the higher end of the range resulting in almost or over $1,000 dollars. Realistically, low-income students cannot afford that price unlike their middle and upper class counterparts. This creates a noticeable advantage for students in a higher socioeconomic class. 

The cost to retake the ACT is $66 dollars without the writing portion and $91 with it. For the SAT, it costs $60 dollars. The high prices associated with the different aspects of the test allow higher-income students to retake it as many times as they want while having access to tutors,drastically improving their scores. Contrastingly, low-income students are left to fend for themselves, without the support or resources to get the same opportunity. 

The school you go to, while not always, does have some effect on projected income as an adult. Higher ranked universities typically range from 27 to 35 for their accepted ACT scores and want preferably higher than 1400 on the SAT for the top 100 universities. Students who are from a lower socioeconomic status, with lacking resources, have less of a chance of gaining admission to a top institution if the same level of importance is placed on ACT and SAT scores. This perpetuates the cycle of low-income families not being afforded the opportunity to escape  from poverty as they already start at a disadvantage.