New College Entrance Exam Challenges SAT and ACT

The Classic Learning Test (CLT) is expanding its presence across the United States as an alternative to the SAT and ACT, gaining support from the Trump administration and several Republican-led states.

Founded in 2015 by Jeremy Tate through the Maryland-based company Classic Learning Initiatives, the exam is designed as a challenger to the long-dominant standardized testing duopoly. Unlike the SAT and ACT, which the CLT describes as leaning on Common Core, the CLT is grounded in the liberal arts tradition.

Curriculum and Testing Format

The CLT focuses on ancient Western civilization, drawing two-thirds of its verbal content from a bank of more than 160 writers. This includes works from philosophers, scientists, and religious figures such as Plato, Dante, Shakespeare, and St. Augustine.

The exam’s math section prohibits the use of calculators and places a heavy focus on trigonometry, and geometry. According to Jeremy Tate, the test serves as a lever that shapes education.

The test has seen widespread adoption among Christian private schools and the homeschooling community. Jonathan Butcher of the Heritage Foundation stated that the CLT provides rigorous content compared to established tests, which he described as containing bland material that doesn’t have any inherent value in it.

State and Federal Adoption

Several state governments have moved to integrate the CLT into their university admissions processes. State legislatures in Arkansas and Indiana have enacted laws requiring public universities to consider CLT scores.

In North Carolina, the university system has agreed to accept the test at its campuses, including the flagship university in Chapel Hill.

In Ohio, House Bill 326 is currently under consideration by the Senate after passing the House earlier in 2026. The bill would allow Ohio high schools to offer the CLT alongside the SAT, ACT, and other nationally norm-referenced exams used for college admission.

Rep. Kevin Ritter (R-Marietta), a joint sponsor of the Ohio bill, stated during a House floor speech in February 2026 that the CLT aligns with the traditional education education values of logic, reasoning, and moral philosophy.

At the federal level, the Pentagon has authorized the use of the CLT for scholarships and admissions to U.S. Military service academies.

Institutional Acceptance and Opposition

More than 350 universities accept CLT scores for admissions, though the majority of these are private Christian colleges. In Ohio, Walsh University is one of 12 private colleges that accept the exam.

However, the test has faced opposition and scrutiny regarding its validity. In 2024, the Iowa Board of Regents conducted a review and found no peer-reviewed studies demonstrating how effectively the CLT predicts college success. Iowa’s public university system decided to maintain the use of only the SAT or ACT for automatic admissions.

Concerns have also been raised regarding the security of the exam’s remote testing options. In Ohio, Democratic lawmakers have expressed opposition to the adoption of the test. Rep. Sean Brennan (D-Parma), a former high school teacher, stated that colleges and universities are generally moving away from the use of standardized tests for admission.

Michael Torres, the CLT Exam Director of Legislative Strategy, has argued that the SAT and ACT have been protected from competition by state laws and that the reduction of rigor in those exams makes the introduction of the CLT necessary for fair competition.