For more than seventy-five years, standardized tests have been considered a vital tool for gauging students' readiness for college. However, few people--including students, parents, teachers, and policy makers--understand how tests like the SAT or ACT are used in admissions decisions. Once touted as the best way to compare students from diverse…

Applicant selections by elite institutions, and specifically Harvard University, is considered, with attention to admissions, selection objectives, predictions, academic performance and later-life contributions, nonacademic predictors of later-life contributions, and representation of certain groups. For six Harvard schools/departments, selection…