SAT® - Scholastic Aptitude Test - Pilot Admissions Test research completed
This section refers to the SAT Reasoning Test™ - a study for HE entrance, rather than the tests taken in UK schools.
Test Information:
This page outlines a generic test that was piloted between 2005 and 2010. It is not currently in use as part of the admissions decision-making process by any HEI in the UK.
The NfER (National Foundation for Educational Research) carried out a 5-year longitudinal study examining the use of an aptitude test, alongside A levels, in university entrance. The study tracked a cohort of over 8000 young people that took the SAT Reasoning Test™ in 2005. Degree outcomes of those young people that attended Higher Education (HE) were collected in 2009 and 2010. The research has now been concluded.
A number of schools and colleges arranged for a large sample of A level students to be tested using a version of the US educational aptitude test, the SAT Reasoning Test™ (previously known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test). This test is owned by the College Board in the USA and developed for them by Educational Testing Service (ETS). The administrative and research aspects of the project were handled by NfER, which arranged the testing exercise, liaised with schools to organise the testing, collected the test papers and gathered background data. The scoring of the tests was arranged and funded by the College Board, who provided the results back to NfER for onward transmission to the schools. NfER also set up a database of the students involved to allow a longitudinal validity study to be conducted. This study aimed to provide evidence on the ability of the SAT® alongside A levels to predict university outcomes. In so doing, it explored two questions:
1. Can the SAT® identify students with the potential to benefit from HE whose ability is not adequately reflected in A level results because of their disadvantaged circumstances?
2. Can the SAT® distinguish helpfully between the most able applicants who get straight As at A level?
The research was undertaken in association with the Sutton Trust, who provide support and liaison with universities and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The exercise was principally research into the validity of the SAT® alongside A levels in admissions to UK universities.
The final report, published in December 2010, examines differences between students according to A level subjects and examines social, educational and economic background variables using more complex statistical modelling of the data.
Key findings
The primary aim of the study was to examine whether the addition of the SAT® alongside A levels is better able to predict HE participation and outcomes than A levels alone.
- Of the prior attainment measures, average A level points score is the best predictor of HE participation and degree class, followed by average GCSE points score. The inclusion of GCSE information adds usefully to the predictive power of A levels.
- In the absence of other data, the SAT® has some predictive power but it does not add any additional information, over and above that of GCSEs and A levels (or GCSEs alone) at a significantly useful level.
Two other issues addressed by the study were: whether the SAT® can identify economically or educationally disadvantaged students with the potential to benefit from HE whose ability is not adequately reflected in their A levels results; whether the SAT® can distinguish helpfully between the most able applicants who get straight A grades at A level.
- There is no evidence that the SAT® provides sufficient information to identify students with the potential to benefit from HE whose ability is not adequately reflected in their prior attainment.
- The SAT® does not distinguish helpfully between the most able applicants who get three or more A grades at A level. The SAT® Reading and Writing components do add some predictive power for some classes of degree at highly selective universities, but add very little beyond the information provided by prior attainment, in particular prior attainment at GCSE.
Implications for policy and practice:
The findings from this research support the following issues in relation to admission to HE:
- For applicants who already have A level and GCSE attainment data, the SAT® would not provide any additional information that would be useful for predicting degree outcomes.
- Tests used in the admission of candidates to HE should be investigated to ensure they are valid predictors of undergraduate performance - this supports the SPA guidance in relation to the use of admissions tests.
- The use of data about the educational context in which students have obtained their qualifications, particularly the type of school attended, should be encouraged when comparing the attainment of HE candidates - this supports SPA's work in relation to the use of contextual data by HEIs.
- In assessing candidates for admission to HE, average performance in both GCSE and A level examinations is more important than the total points accumulated.
See the final report at www.nfer.ac.uk for a full discussion of these issues.
Developed by NfER/College Board (USA)
Validation/reliability research by - NfER, DIUS, Sutton Trust
Taken at - the pilot was with individual students via their school/college
When - pre-interview
Duration - 3 hours 45 minutes
How much - free to applicants in pilot
Fee reimbursement/bursary - not applicable
Test required by - not applicable - pilot test, not currently in use as part of the admissions decision making process by any HEI in the UK.
Website - National Foundation for Educational Research
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Reviewed and updated: June 2011