According to the National Science Foundation, the share of Black people pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) bachelor’s degrees has steadily declined since 2013, and at the doctoral level, representation has been abysmal. Physics, for example, has only graduated a total of 100 Black women. The renewed desire to attract Black students to graduate programs has brought up a whether a test that is cited as a barrier for minority applicants actually addresses the underpinnings of anti-Black racism in the academy.
Historically, graduate programs, especially in STEM, have used the Graduate Readiness Exam or the GRE to identify “competitive” potential candidates. Scores are recommended because they serve as a “standard measure” to compare individuals across groups. However, in certain disciplines, evidence points to scores not predicting minority success in graduate school nor establishing who has the capacity to become an effective knowledge producer.
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