Dive Brief:
- Only 43% of students taking the SAT this year are ready for college, according to the College Board, the company that administers the college entrance exam.
- The percentage of students who meet the College Board’s readiness benchmark has basically remained the same since 2009, U.S. News and World Report reported.
- Of African-Americans taking the SATs, only 15.8% made the college readiness benchmark for 2014, set at a score of 1550. The readiness figure was 23.4% for Hispanics and 33.5% for Native Americans.
Dive Insight:
Test takers who score 1550 have a 65% chance of having at least a B- average in their first year of college, according to the College Board. The score also indicates that the student is likely to graduate from college within four years. Minority students made up 47.5% of the 1.67 million SAT test takers in 2014 and students with financial need, taking the test with a fee waiver, were 23.6% of the total.