SAT Ranked Best College Entrance Exam in Texas Study

In a new independent study from Texas researchers, the SAT^® earned a perfect score for predicting college success—the measure the report identifies as most consequential for college admissions. Of the three college entrance exams evaluated, researchers also gave the SAT the highest overall score. 

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board commissioned the Texas A&M study as required by state legislation to provide evidence-based guidance on the use of college entrance exams in admissions.

College Board provided results from more than 117,000 SAT test takers across 14 Texas public 4-year institutions—a large cross-section of Texas students and institutions. The independent researchers also examined data from the ACT and the Classic Learning Test to evaluate how well each exam predicts college success. Of the three tests, the SAT was found to have the strongest evidence base for reliably predicting college success including first-year GPA, retention, and performance in key Texas college courses.

“Commissioning a research-based, evidence-backed review of college entrance exams is essential for ensuring that high-stakes assessments are reliable, rigorous, and trustworthy,” said Ana Menezes, senior vice president of Learning and Assessment at College Board. “College entrance exams have major consequences for students’ futures. They inform where students attend college, the courses they place into, the scholarships they receive, and the support they get to succeed. A college entrance exam must reliably predict student success in college, and this evidence shows the SAT does that for Texas students better than any other assessment researchers evaluated.”

The independent review reaffirms what decades of research has demonstrated: the SAT provides the strongest evidence base of any college entrance exam for assessing student readiness. According to the study, the SAT “appears most ready for advanced admissions consideration in Texas” and demonstrates “strong technical readiness” with the “lowest comparative risk.” 

In Texas’s graduating class of 2025, 74% of students took the SAT.

“Texas students and schools need a test they can trust,” Menezes said. “As the Coordinating Board implements its admissions policies, College Board remains committed to supporting Texas students with the test that is proven to reliably predict their success.”

About College Board

College Board reaches more than 7 million students a year, helping them navigate the path from high school to college and career. Our not-for-profit membership organization was founded more than 120 years ago. We pioneered programs like the SAT^® and AP^® to expand opportunities for students and help them develop the skills they need. Our BigFuture^® program helps students plan for college, pay for college, and explore careers. Learn more at cb.org.