Science: Prof. Jennifer M. Gómez Explains Patterns of Inequality in Standardized Testing
Standardized testing has increasingly been scrutinized as part of the education application review process, and many universities have opted to drop requirements for test scores. While the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) can determine admission decisions for graduate degrees, the test requires hours of studying, payment to take the test, transportation to and from testing centers, and other considerations that do not make it accessible to all applicants. Prof. Jennifer M. Gómez, an expert in institutional discrimination, talked to Science about how the GRE reinforces inequalities in higher education.
Excerpt from “‘GRExit’ Gains Momentum as Ph.D. Programs Drop Exam Requirement” by Katie Langin, originally posted in Science:
Logistical concerns came on top of research indicating the GRE doesn’t predict whether a student will succeed in graduate school. ‘The data has to be relevant. Otherwise it’s just noise,’ says Jennifer Gómez, an assistant professor at Boston University School of Social Work, who has studied the use of GRE scores in psychology admissions. ‘The GRE predicts nothing of substance beyond grades.’ On top of that, the test ‘unfairly privileges certain groups—white men in particular,’ she says.”