The SAT (a standardised college admissions test widely used across the United States) marks its 100th anniversary this year, having first been administered in June 1926 to roughly 8,000 high school students seeking entry to elite universities. The test has evolved considerably over the century — moving from a paper-based, nearly six-hour format to a fully digital two-hour-and-15-minute exam in 2024 — yet fundamental questions about its fairness persist, with research showing that wealthier students consistently outscore their lower-income peers, in part due to access to costly tutoring and better-funded schools. While over 2,000 colleges and universities have adopted test-optional admissions policies, more than 2 million students still sat the SAT in 2025, the highest number since before the Covid-19 pandemic, underscoring the exam's enduring role as a contested but deeply embedded milestone in American secondary education.