Which instrument is a well-established predictor of college performance and originated to provide a common standard to which students could be compared?

• A. ACT
• B. GRE
• C. SAT
• D. MBTI

Answer: (C)

Standardized admissions tests were created to provide a common yardstick for comparing students from different schools and backgrounds. The SAT fits this purpose precisely: it was designed to be a uniform measure that colleges could use to compare applicants who had taken various curricula and courses. Over time, it has been shown to have predictive value for college performance, especially when considered alongside high school GPA and coursework. In other words, higher SAT scores tend to be associated with stronger college achievement, making it both a common benchmark and a predictor of success in college settings.

The GRE is aimed at graduate school admissions, not undergraduate college performance. The MBTI is a personality assessment and does not predict academic outcomes. The ACT serves a similar admissions function but originated as an alternative to the SAT rather than the historical standard for comparison across all students, so the SAT best fits the described role.