Top 10 Worst Standardized Tests 2026

Decades of research show the SAT correlates more strongly with family income than college success, yet it remains a gatekeeper for millions of American students.

The IIT entrance exam's 0.5% acceptance rate has spawned a $12 billion coaching industry where students sacrifice their entire adolescence for a single shot at admission.

Over 100 graduate programs have dropped the GRE requirement after studies found it poorly predicts research ability and systematically disadvantages women and minorities.

Japan's grueling university entrance exam forces high schoolers into years of juku cram school attendance, contributing to a cultural crisis of youth burnout and social withdrawal.

The LSAT's logic games section tests pattern-matching skills with minimal relevance to legal practice, yet a few points can mean the difference between a T14 school and obscurity.

The entire nation literally falls silent during the Suneung listening section — flights are grounded and traffic is stopped — reflecting a society unhealthily obsessed with a single exam.

Common Core-aligned state tests consume weeks of instructional time, generate data of questionable value, and have triggered an opt-out movement from millions of frustrated parents.

The seven-hour MCAT exam costs $330 per attempt and covers material from four years of coursework, yet physician competence correlates far more with clinical training than test scores.

The $250 exam expires after just two years, forcing non-native English speakers to repeatedly pay and retest even after demonstrating clear fluency for immigration and academic purposes.