Is Standardized Testing Good or Bad?

Should colleges and universities—especially those regarded as elite—use the scores students earned on standardized tests in making admissions decisions? That has been a heated subject of debate for several decades. Opponents of testing claim that the tests are unfair to minority students and help perpetuate the socioeconomic supremacy of affluent whites, while defenders argue that standardized tests help schools distinguish between students who are capable of doing the level of work required and those who aren’t. Which side is right? Does it really matter? In his new book, Higher Admissions: The Rise, Decline, and Return of Standardized Testing, Nicholas Lemann...