Take Two! SAT Retaking and College Enrollment Gaps

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
Year: 2020
Volume: 12
Issue: 2
Pages: 115-58

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Only half of SAT-takers retake the exam, with even lower retake rates among low-income students and underrepresented minority (URM) students. We exploit discontinuous jumps in retake probabilities at multiples of 100, driven by left-digit bias, to estimate retaking's causal effects. Retaking substantially improves SAT scores and increases four-year college enrollment rates, particularly for low-income and URM students. Eliminating disparities in retake rates could close up to 10 percent of the income-based gap and up to 7 percent of the race-based gap in four-year college enrollment rates of high school graduates.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejpol:v:12:y:2020:i:2:p:115-58
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25