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I am speechless. Thomas Aquinas College just dropped a study on the rigor of the new SAT.
It compares the 1980/87 test with 2026. The findings should terrify every parent and teacher...
Vocabulary has collapsed.
Old SAT: 70.6% of questions tested vocab.
New SAT: 15%.
The old know a wide range of words through analogies, antonyms, and sentence completions. The new test abandoned that. Most vocab questions now just ask students to fill in one blank from context.
Reading passages also got radically shorter (average ~97 words vs 300–340).
The new test uses short expository passages and hands you the necessary background knowledge inside the text. The older tests leaned much more heavily on argumentative and persuasive writing, assumed far more historical, scientific, and cultural knowledge, and penalized students who lacked it.
This is a redefinition of what "college readiness" means.
If you believe that kids should develop rigorous vocabulary, be capable of sustained reading, and possess background knowledge, I have bad news for you. The SAT no longer measures these.
If you want a future where children can actually read difficult texts and construct complex arguments, the SAT must be replaced now.
This cannot go on.
It compares the 1980/87 test with 2026. The findings should terrify every parent and teacher...
Vocabulary has collapsed.
Old SAT: 70.6% of questions tested vocab.
New SAT: 15%.
The old know a wide range of words through analogies, antonyms, and sentence completions. The new test abandoned that. Most vocab questions now just ask students to fill in one blank from context.
Reading passages also got radically shorter (average ~97 words vs 300–340).
The new test uses short expository passages and hands you the necessary background knowledge inside the text. The older tests leaned much more heavily on argumentative and persuasive writing, assumed far more historical, scientific, and cultural knowledge, and penalized students who lacked it.
This is a redefinition of what "college readiness" means.
If you believe that kids should develop rigorous vocabulary, be capable of sustained reading, and possess background knowledge, I have bad news for you. The SAT no longer measures these.
If you want a future where children can actually read difficult texts and construct complex arguments, the SAT must be replaced now.
This cannot go on.
We were concerned that the SAT has become a less reliable measure of student preparedness for a rigorous college curriculum.
So, we commissioned a study from Johns Hopkins University. What does this study tell us about the state of higher education?
The results are shocking. thaq.co/4iLThZ0
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Jeremy Wayne Tate retweeted
She wasn't so sure about it all, but she is now a child of God.
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Jeremy Wayne Tate retweeted
This is comically misleading. Remarkably so.
The Classic Learning Test is trying to replace the SAT and ACT, @rosehorowitch writes. She reports on why red states are adopting the CLT at an astonishing rate—and why the test may be lowering standards for students: theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/10/…
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Jeremy Wayne Tate retweeted
This is a concerning take. As a test prep tutor, I can confidently tell you that compared to the CLT, the SAT Reading/Writing section is a breeze. Objectively speaking, there's not even a comparison. The SAT doesn't even utilize text that's more than 150 words. One paragraph, written in simple, everyday English, entirely made up by the College Board - and one question for each "passage." Out of the 54 questions across two modules, there will typically be less than 5 that are actually pulled from existing literary works.
The CLT meanwhile has 80 questions combined on the Verbal/Grammar sections with less time per question than the SAT. It utilizes passages up to 650 words in length rich in vocabulary and varied in sentence structure, connected to multiple questions with more depth than either the SAT or ACT -- and these texts are pulled from classics.
This article seems to be written with a deep political motivation rather than a genuine pursuit of the truth regarding the merit of standardized tests. There is objectively no standing for the argument that the CLT is easier or lowering standards when we've seen what jokes the SAT/ACT have become.
The CLT meanwhile has 80 questions combined on the Verbal/Grammar sections with less time per question than the SAT. It utilizes passages up to 650 words in length rich in vocabulary and varied in sentence structure, connected to multiple questions with more depth than either the SAT or ACT -- and these texts are pulled from classics.
This article seems to be written with a deep political motivation rather than a genuine pursuit of the truth regarding the merit of standardized tests. There is objectively no standing for the argument that the CLT is easier or lowering standards when we've seen what jokes the SAT/ACT have become.
The Classic Learning Test is trying to replace the SAT and ACT, @rosehorowitch writes. She reports on why red states are adopting the CLT at an astonishing rate—and why the test may be lowering standards for students: theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/10/…
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Jeremy Wayne Tate retweeted
The Atlantic says "Red States are Dumbing Down College Admissions."
They got the story backwards. The SAT got dumbed down so much that it created the conditions where another test was needed. I'll show you exactly when they did that in the posts below.
They got the story backwards. The SAT got dumbed down so much that it created the conditions where another test was needed. I'll show you exactly when they did that in the posts below.
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Jeremy Wayne Tate retweeted
I hear over and over again parents, students, faculty bemoan the lowering of standards in the USA. If you want better standards you need better benchmark tests. CLT is not the solution to everything, but it is a better metric.
Ask your school to start using the CLT today.
Ask your school to start using the CLT today.
@TheAtlantica@rosehorowitch test prep tutor, I can confidently tell you that compared to the CLT, the SAT Reading/Writing section is a breeze. Objectively speaking, there's not even a comparison. The SAT doesn't even utilize text that's more than 150 words. One paragraph, written in simple, everyday English, entirely made up by the College Board - and one question for each "passage." Out of the 54 questions across two modules, there will typically be less than 5 that are actually pulled from existing literary works.
The CLT meanwhile has 80 questions combined on the Verbal/Grammar sections with less time per question than the SAT. It utilizes passages up to 650 words in length rich in vocabulary and varied in sentence structure, connected to multiple questions covering a wider array of topics than either the SAT or ACT -- these texts are pulled from classics.
This article seems to be written with a deep political motivation rather than a genuine pursuit of the truth regarding the merit of standardized tests. There is objectively no standing for the argument that the CLT is easier or lowering standards when we've seen what jokes the SAT/ACT have become.
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Jeremy Wayne Tate retweeted
514 years ago today, on All Saints’ Day 1512, Pope Julius II said Mass beneath Michelangelo’s newly finished Sistine Chapel ceiling
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This is 💯 accurate! @rosehorowitch @TheAtlantic honest question, did you talk to anyone on the ground before publishing this click bait hit piece? Anyone? The whole power and beauty of journalism is in telling the truth. You should try it.
We will be demanding a retraction for defamation. You told the entire country we are lowering standards. This is a lie. The whole reason we launched 11 years ago was to reintroduce a serious academic standard.
We will be meeting with our legal counsel this week.
We will be demanding a retraction for defamation. You told the entire country we are lowering standards. This is a lie. The whole reason we launched 11 years ago was to reintroduce a serious academic standard.
We will be meeting with our legal counsel this week.
@TheAtlantica@rosehorowitch test prep tutor, I can confidently tell you that compared to the CLT, the SAT Reading/Writing section is a breeze. Objectively speaking, there's not even a comparison. The SAT doesn't even utilize text that's more than 150 words. One paragraph, written in simple, everyday English, entirely made up by the College Board - and one question for each "passage." Out of the 54 questions across two modules, there will typically be less than 5 that are actually pulled from existing literary works.
The CLT meanwhile has 80 questions combined on the Verbal/Grammar sections with less time per question than the SAT. It utilizes passages up to 650 words in length rich in vocabulary and varied in sentence structure, connected to multiple questions covering a wider array of topics than either the SAT or ACT -- these texts are pulled from classics.
This article seems to be written with a deep political motivation rather than a genuine pursuit of the truth regarding the merit of standardized tests. There is objectively no standing for the argument that the CLT is easier or lowering standards when we've seen what jokes the SAT/ACT have become.
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Jeremy Wayne Tate retweeted
Gandalf told Frodo the only thing we decide is what to do with the time we're given.
Homeschooling gives you 16,000 more hours with your kids.
Decide well.
Homeschooling gives you 16,000 more hours with your kids.
Decide well.
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We were honestly dying laughing at the CLT office when this Atlantic article dropped. We knew the Johns Hopkins Study was coming the next day, a study that empirically proved the new SAT is a total joke. Notice they critique our math without even mentioning we are the only test that doesn’t allow for a calculator. It is so dishonest. Everyone with basic knowledge of the three tests knows CLT is the hardest, this is not a debate. Talk to students, 100% of them will tell you the same thing.
This article was about Tuesday’s election and following the Hopkins study it has now done unimaginable damage to The Atlantic’s reputation. This article proves why outlets like the Free Press are experiencing massive growth while The Atlantic is struggling for subscribers.
This article was about Tuesday’s election and following the Hopkins study it has now done unimaginable damage to The Atlantic’s reputation. This article proves why outlets like the Free Press are experiencing massive growth while The Atlantic is struggling for subscribers.
The Classic Learning Test is trying to replace the SAT and ACT, @rosehorowitch writes. She reports on why red states are adopting the CLT at an astonishing rate—and why the test may be lowering standards for students: theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/10/…
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Jeremy Wayne Tate retweeted
This is how Catholics in Poland celebrate All Saints’ Day every year. Families visit the graves of their loved ones and light candles in their memory.
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Jeremy Wayne Tate retweeted
The SAT has spent decades lowering its expectations. Now it seems offended that someone still has standards.
They rushed out a hit piece to shape Tuesday’s election.
What they didn’t know? One of America’s most respected universities was about to release a six-month study exposing the dumbing down of the SAT.
Their timing could not have been worse.
theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/10/…
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They rushed out a hit piece to shape Tuesday’s election.
What they didn’t know? One of America’s most respected universities was about to release a six-month study exposing the dumbing down of the SAT.
Their timing could not have been worse.
theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/10/…
What they didn’t know? One of America’s most respected universities was about to release a six-month study exposing the dumbing down of the SAT.
Their timing could not have been worse.
theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/10/…
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1.3 million views 🤯
We were concerned that the SAT has become a less reliable measure of student preparedness for a rigorous college curriculum.
So, we commissioned a study from Johns Hopkins University. What does this study tell us about the state of higher education?
The results are shocking. thaq.co/4iLThZ0
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On Thursday, a Johns Hopkins study commissioned by Thomas Aquinas College broke the internet.
Elon Musk shared it and it now has millions of views. Here’s the story.
nationalreview.com/2026/10/how-th…
Elon Musk shared it and it now has millions of views. Here’s the story.
nationalreview.com/2026/10/how-th…
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Jeremy Wayne Tate retweeted
Read more about TAC's study of the SAT today @NRO -- "How the SAT Lowered Expectations," by John J. Goyette
nationalreview.com/2026/10/how-th…
nationalreview.com/2026/10/how-th…
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Jeremy Wayne Tate retweeted
No matter what, get your kids reading.
Reading biographies.
Reading nonfiction.
Reading classics.
And not just for better test scores, it builds a love of learning.
Reading biographies.
Reading nonfiction.
Reading classics.
And not just for better test scores, it builds a love of learning.
I am speechless. Thomas Aquinas College just dropped a study on the rigor of the new SAT.
It compares the 1980/87 test with 2026. The findings should terrify every parent and teacher...
Vocabulary has collapsed.
Old SAT: 70.6% of questions tested vocab.
New SAT: 15%.
The old know a wide range of words through analogies, antonyms, and sentence completions. The new test abandoned that. Most vocab questions now just ask students to fill in one blank from context.
Reading passages also got radically shorter (average ~97 words vs 300–340).
The new test uses short expository passages and hands you the necessary background knowledge inside the text. The older tests leaned much more heavily on argumentative and persuasive writing, assumed far more historical, scientific, and cultural knowledge, and penalized students who lacked it.
This is a redefinition of what "college readiness" means.
If you believe that kids should develop rigorous vocabulary, be capable of sustained reading, and possess background knowledge, I have bad news for you. The SAT no longer measures these.
If you want a future where children can actually read difficult texts and construct complex arguments, the SAT must be replaced now.
This cannot go on.
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