In recent years, some colleges and universities dropped the use of the SAT/ACT tests as part of their admissions program. In some cases, this was a decision based on ideology and in other cases, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, it was an attempt to reduce exposure to viral infection. Recently, some high-profile universities such as Harvard, Yale, MIT, Caltech, Dartmouth and Brown, as well as all the public universities in Georgia and Florida have reinstated the SAT/ACT tests as one of the criteria for admission. The main reason for this reinstatement is the high correlation between IQ scores and performance on SAT, ACT and GRE that ranges between 0.5 and 0.8. The President of Dartmouth University, Sian Leah Beilock stated:
SAT/ACTs can be especially helpful in identifying students from less-resourced backgrounds who would succeed at Dartmouth but might otherwise be missed in a test-optional environment.
The strong correlation between IQ and performance on tests such as the SAT is to be expected because these tests are similar, in many ways, to IQ tests. The main difference is that IQ tests are intended to be relatively knowledge-free, while SATs test require some degree of knowledge that can be acquired through study.
On account of this established correlation between IQ and SAT/ACT, GRE performance, only those who score well on the SATs will be able to gain admission to theoretical physics or mathematics, while people who score lower on the SATs will be able to gain entry into programs in education or some of the social sciences.
The figure below from the College Board gives the average SAT score by college major for the year 2014.
In 1973 Bill Gates, graduated from Lakeside High School with an outstanding score of 1590 out of 1600 on his SAT’s gaining him entry into Harvard. Today, (October 28, 2024) he celebrates his 69th birthday, having revolutionized the data processing software industry and becoming a billionaire in the process. Numerous other examples of high IQ individuals who have scored well on standardized tests are strong testimonials of their connection to IQ.
