The time is ticking down; students are all quietly looking at the proctor, most of them unable to figure out some of the problems and panicking about what score they’ll get. That’s the atmosphere that arises from College Board’s SAT and Advanced Placement (AP) exams, as they put more focus on making money rather than helping students prepare for college. This, in turn, results in students preparing for one exam at the end of the year, instead of trying to actually learn the content as the year goes by.

Many students view the SAT and AP tests as fundamental towards their future in college, thus causing inelastic demand for these types of tests. Even though the ACT is another option for students, they have nothing remotely close to AP classes. This lets the College Board essentially act as a monopoly by having the freedom of charging whatever prices they want, yet they aren’t subject to the same antitrust laws as other companies are.

Even though many take these tests, the College Board has had a myriad of issues throughout the years. Some people had issues with SAT test dates getting canceled unexpectedly, while others criticized the company over their 2020 AP exam fiasco. Nonetheless, this doesn’t stop their wallet from growing.

In addition to being this one-of-a-kind business, they also get tons of revenue and are exempt from taxes. According to an article by Forbes, the College Board rakes in about $1 billion in gross revenue each year from their tests. Even though only one-tenth of that is actual profit, that is still an awful lot from a company that “connects students to college success and opportunity.”

Just take a look at one of their outrageous expenses–high salaries. According to data from ProPublica, CEO of the College Board, David Coleman, makes around $2 million per year, while 16 other employees make at least $300,000 annually. Is the goal of the College Board to help prepare students to succeed after high school or to give big salaries to a handful of their employees?

Yes, their employees should get paid just like any other employee, but that doesn’t mean pay them salaries which most would deem unnecessarily high. Due to the lack of competition in their industry, they can spend money on whatever they want, however they want.

Additionally, they also seem to lack financial transparency. They have over $400 million invested in hedge funds and private equity, which doesn’t align with the mission of a non-profit claiming to help students. It is evident that they have a motivation to make money.

According to a page on the College Board’s website, they are planning on going paperless nationwide starting in 2024. It’s clear that this is simply a measure passed for convenience and to have greater economies of scale.

Some may argue that the College Board’s SAT and AP programs are huge for helping students prepare for college. But in reality, these tests are usually done simply to check a box for colleges, and possibly get some scholarship money.

Especially when it comes to AP classes, they are designed to be modeled after that one test, and students typically do a ton of work just to try to do well on that one test. This creates an unnecessary burden on students, which could be avoided by having alternate testing or college credit options. Because there is a greater emphasis on the score achieved on these tests instead of actually understanding the material, students have a harder time actually understanding the material presented to them.

If people want the College Board to improve their business practices, then they need to be held more accountable. That could mean getting rid of their tax-free status, or encouraging other companies to have similar programs.