미 명문대의 SAT 시험 회귀 [뉴노멀-실리콘밸리]

Many prestigious U.S. universities are reintroducing the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) in 2023. Columbia University announced in June that it would resume accepting SAT and ACT scores. Ivy League institutions such as Princeton and Yale have made similar decisions. The University of California (UC) is also considering the SAT's return.

The surge in universities' interest in the test is not due to a sudden love for exams. The growing reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) technology, which makes it difficult to trust students' submissions, is a significant factor. AI can generate essays in seconds, undermining the ability to discern a student's individuality and unique experiences.

Dartmouth College explained that combining high school grades and test scores in predicting post-admission academic achievement has proven effective. The impact of AI-generated essays can be distinguished, but identifying those crafted by human authors becomes increasingly challenging. The SAT, first introduced in 1926, was initially used to identify talented individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who could change the world.

This question resurfaces this year, highlighting the same core issue: how to determine the authenticity of a student's abilities. Meanwhile, in South Korea, the admission process is shifting away from standardized testing. For the 2028 academic year, the weight of the college Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is set to increase to 80.8%, while the range for top scores will expand to 10%.

The U.S. prioritizes test results, while South Korea is placing greater emphasis on classroom observations. Neither approach is definitively right, but the challenge lies in ensuring that the required recording infrastructure exists. Teaching multiple classes and meticulously observing individual learning processes is cumbersome, and universities are now also concerned about the trustworthiness of AI-generated evaluations.

Additionally, there is a broader concern about the evaluation system becoming overly reliant on existing structures. The real question is whether to continue relying on outdated systems or to find new ways to identify and assess talents suitable for the AI era. As universities reintroduce the SAT, they are also implementing oral defense (oral defense: verbal defense) and requiring high school essays to be submitted along with instructor-signed and edited drafts.

This approach aims to ensure that students can explain their thought processes, not just produce results. Ultimately, the question is not whether to focus on quantitative or qualitative assessments, but rather how to verify a student's ability to think independently and solve complex problems.