History of College Board in Timeline

The College Board is a non-profit organization established in 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board. Its primary aim is to broaden access to higher education. It functions as a membership association comprising over 6,000 educational institutions, including schools, colleges, and universities. While not a college association itself, it provides services and resources to support students' transition to college and success in higher education.

1905: Source Material

In 1905, text from the New International Encyclopedia was used as source material.

1922: Early Criticism of College Board

Criticism of the College Board and its exams dates back to at least 1922, with a Harvard Alumni Bulletin article from prep school teacher Morgan Barnes, who cited general incompetence in grading, excessive focus on exam preparation in classrooms, and overreliance on exam scores in the college admissions process as grievances.

1926: First SAT Administration

In 1926, the SAT, a fee-based standardized test for college admissions in the United States, was first administered.

1999: Gaston Caperton Becomes CEO

In 1999, Gaston Caperton, former governor of West Virginia, became the CEO of the College Board.

2004: AP Chinese Program Development

In 2004, Hanban and the College Board developed the "AP Chinese Language and Culture Course and Exam" program.

October 2005: Incorrectly Scored Tests

In October 2005, the College Board gave incorrectly scored tests.

2005: Essay Length vs. Score Correlation

In 2005, MIT Writing Director Les Perelman discovered a high correlation between essay length and essay score on the new SAT, finding that longer essays generally received higher scores, even with factual inaccuracies.

March 2006: Incorrect Test Scoring

In March 2006, it was discovered that the College Board had incorrectly scored several thousand tests taken in October 2005.

2006: Financial ties with Hanban

Since 2006, College Board had financial ties with Hanban.

2009: AETR Criticism of College Board

In 2009, Americans for Educational Testing Reform (AETR) criticized the College Board for allegedly violating its non-profit status through excessive profits and executive compensation, with CEO Gaston Caperton earning $1.3 million, and for unethical practices such as selling test preparation materials and lobbying.

2009: CEO Compensation

In 2009, the College Board paid out a $1.3 million/year package for CEO Caperton.

October 2012: David Coleman Becomes CEO

In October 2012, David Coleman replaced Gaston Caperton as the CEO of the College Board.

March 5, 2014: Redesigned SAT Announcement

On March 5, 2014, the College Board announced a redesigned version of the SAT that would be administered for the first time in 2016. The exam reverted to the 1600-point scale, and the essay became optional.

May 13, 2015: New Credential Initiative Release

On May 13, 2015, the College Board announced the release of a new credential initiative in partnership with Project Lead the Way to increase student interest in STEM careers.

2015: Free Test Preparation Materials

Starting in the spring of 2015, the College Board partnered with Khan Academy to provide free test preparation materials for the redesigned SAT, including a preparation application, practice problems, and step-by-step video solutions.

2016: First Administration of Redesigned SAT

In 2016, the redesigned version of the SAT, announced in March 2014, was administered for the first time. The exam reverted to the 1600-point scale, and the essay became optional.

October 2017: International SAT Leak

In October 2017, the international SAT given in China was leaked on the internet before being recycled for the August 25, 2018 SAT in America.

2017: College Board Surplus

In 2017, the College Board had a $140 million surplus.

August 25, 2018: Recycled SAT Exam

On August 25, 2018, the SAT given in America was a recycled October 2017 international SAT previously given in China, with the leaked PDF file available on the internet before the exam.

2018: AP Test Early Registration Pilot Program

Starting with a pilot program in 2018, the College Board required students to sign up for AP tests during the fall before early-round college decisions were out.

2019: SAT Reasoning Test Costs

As of 2019, the SAT Reasoning Test with essay cost $64.50 ($93.50 if late).

2019: Early AP Test Registration Rollout

In 2019, the College Board officially rolled out early AP test registration to all schools, requiring students to sign up for AP tests during the fall before early-round college decisions were out, which drew criticism due to the potential for paying for tests that would not grant college credit.

March 2020: Test Date Cancellations Due to COVID-19

In March 2020, the College Board announced the cancellation of several test dates in the spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading many colleges to adopt test-optional or test-blind admissions policies.

May 2020: AP Exam Submission Glitches

In May 2020, some students were prevented from submitting their AP exams due to glitches, forcing them to retake the exams in June.

June 23, 2020: Truinfadores Campaign Launch

On June 23, 2020, the College Board and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises launched a joint public campaign called Truinfadores to guide Spanish-speaking families through the college planning process, offering scholarships through the College Board Opportunity Scholarship program.

October 2020: Termination of Financial Ties with Hanban

In October 2020, the College Board announced its intention to terminate financial ties with Hanban, in place since 2006, following criticism from U.S. senators regarding its affiliation with the Chinese government.

2020: SAT Takers in 2020

In 2020, 2.2 million students participated in taking the SAT Suite of Assessment Program.

2020: Alternate AP Testing Format

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the College Board created an alternate form of AP testing with students taking shortened 45-minute, open-book exams at home. There were reports of disruptions in the process, such as students being unable to submit their answers, general confusion about the test process, and more.

2020: Exam Fee Equivalent

In 2020, the original exam fee of $5 from the organization's early years was equivalent to approximately $155.

January 19, 2021: Discontinuation of SAT Subject Tests

On January 19, 2021, the College Board discontinued SAT Subject Tests in the United States, effective immediately. The tests were to be phased out for international students the following summer.

June 2021: Discontinuation of Optional Essay Section

After June 2021, the College Board discontinued the optional essay section of the SAT.

September 2021: Charge for Student Information

As of September 2021, the College Board charges $0.50 per name for access to student information.

2021: Decrease in SAT Takers

The 2021 SAT Suite of Assessment Program results showed that 1.5 million high school students took the test, compared to 2.2 million students in 2020.

January 25, 2022: SAT to be Delivered Digitally

On January 25, 2022, the College Board announced that the SAT would be delivered digitally, aiming to change the test format with new features such as a shorter 2-hour testing period, more relevant topics, and calculator use allowed throughout the Math portion.

2023: AP Exam Costs

As of 2023, AP exams cost US$97 ($137 if late).

2024: Digital Transition of SAT and PSAT exams

In spring 2024, all SAT and PSATs transitioned to digital only and are taken on Bluebook. College Board is transitioning all AP paper exams to digital exams.