A number on a page. A score that feels like a verdict. For millions of students, this is the moment everything hinges on.
The College Board: A Measure of Merit or a Weight We Carry?
March 27, 2026 — from a quiet room, thinking about what we ask of young people
A number on a page. A score that feels like a verdict. For millions of students, this is the moment everything hinges on.
I remember the morning of my first SAT. The night before, I had arranged my pencils like soldiers. I had packed my calculator, my ID, my water bottle, my nerves. I had told myself that this was just a test, that it didn't define me, that there would be other chances. But the moment I opened the booklet, I forgot all of that. The questions swam. The clock ticked. And for three hours, I was not a student or a dreamer or a person with a life outside of that room. I was a number waiting to be written.
For generations of American students, the College Board has been that room. The SAT, the PSAT, the AP exams—these are the gates we pass through on the way to something we've been told matters. And for many, they are also the first time we realize that the world measures us in ways we cannot control, in ways that feel both arbitrary and absolute.
What Is the College Board?
The College Board is a not-for-profit organization that was founded in 1900 to expand access to higher education. Today, it oversees a sprawling empire of standardized tests: the SAT, the PSAT, the Advanced Placement (AP) program, and more. Millions of students take these tests every year. Their scores determine college admissions, scholarship eligibility, and, for many, the shape of their futures.
For students, the College Board is both a gatekeeper and a gateway. It promises a level playing field—a way for colleges to compare students from different schools, different backgrounds, different lives. But it also represents a system that can feel impersonal, relentless, and, for some, unjust.
The debate around standardized testing is as old as the tests themselves. Do they measure merit or privilege? Do they predict success or simply reward preparation? In 2026, these questions are as urgent as ever. And for the millions of students who sit down to fill in bubbles every year, the answers matter.
The Weight of a Number
I have watched students prepare for the SAT for months. I have seen them sacrifice weekends, sleep, sanity. I have seen them memorize vocabulary words they will never use again, learn test-taking strategies that have nothing to do with real learning, reduce themselves to a score that will be read by admissions officers who will never meet them.
And I have watched them open their scores. The relief when the number is high enough. The devastation when it is not. The quiet grief of believing that a number has decided your worth.
There's a verse in the Quran that speaks to the danger of what we value:
"Indeed, Allah does not look at your forms or your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and your deeds." — Hadith (Muslim)
If we believe that, then we must believe that a test score is not the measure of a person. And yet we have built a system that acts as though it is.
By the Numbers: The College Board in 2026
| Metric | Data |
|---|---|
| SAT test-takers (2025-26) | ~1.7 million |
| AP exam-takers (2025-26) | ~2.5 million |
| Average SAT score (2025) | 1050 (out of 1600) |
| AP exams offered | 38 subjects |
| Colleges requiring SAT (2026) | ~45% (down from 80% pre-pandemic) |
| Test-optional colleges (2026) | ~55% |
Data reflects the ongoing shift toward test-optional admissions in the post-pandemic era.
What I Truly Believe
I believe that the College Board was created with good intentions. The idea that there should be a common measure, a way for students from different schools to be compared fairly, is not a bad one. But I also believe that the system we have today has lost sight of what it was meant to do.
I believe that a test score can tell us something about a student. It can tell us how well they prepared, how they perform under pressure, how they navigate a very specific kind of challenge. But it cannot tell us who they are. It cannot tell us about the late nights they spent caring for a sibling, the job they worked to help their family, the art they make when no one is watching. It cannot tell us about their kindness, their curiosity, their capacity to grow.
And yet, for decades, we have acted as though it could.
In recent years, the shift toward test-optional admissions has been a welcome change. More than half of colleges now allow students to decide whether to submit scores. This is progress. But it is not the end of the conversation. As long as students feel that their worth is tied to a number, as long as they sacrifice their health, their joy, their sense of self to a test, we have work to do.
Expert Insight: What Educators Are Saying
Educators have long debated the role of standardized testing. Some argue that the SAT and AP exams provide a necessary measure of academic readiness. Others point to the ways these tests exacerbate inequality, favoring students from wealthier backgrounds who can afford test prep and tutoring.
Research shows that high school GPA is actually a better predictor of college success than SAT scores. And yet, the tests persist. Partly because they are convenient. Partly because they are familiar. Partly because the College Board is an institution with enormous influence over the educational landscape.
There are signs of change. The SAT has been redesigned multiple times to try to address equity concerns. The AP program has expanded, offering more opportunities for students to earn college credit. But the fundamental question remains: are we measuring what matters?
Five Things Students (and Parents) Should Remember About the College Board
- You are not your score. A test result is a data point, not a verdict. It does not define your intelligence, your potential, or your worth.
- Preparation matters more than perfection. Do your best, but remember that the process—learning how to study, how to focus, how to manage stress—is itself valuable.
- There are many paths to where you want to go. College admissions are not a single gate. There are dozens of ways to get where you're going.
- Ask for help. Fee waivers exist. Test prep resources exist. Counselors exist. You don't have to navigate this alone.
- Your story is more important than any score. Admissions officers want to know who you are—what you care about, what you've overcome, what you'll bring to their campus. Don't let a number silence that story.
What Comes Next for Standardized Testing
The future of the College Board and its tests is uncertain. Some colleges have gone permanently test-optional. Others have eliminated testing requirements altogether. The SAT itself has changed, moving to a digital format, shortening the test, trying to become more accessible.
But the deeper change has to happen in how we think about testing. As long as we believe that a number can measure a person, we will keep building systems that reduce students to scores. The real work is in learning to see each other differently—to value the things that can't be quantified.
