What Is the Classic Learning Test, and Why Is It Popular With Conservatives?

In a college admissions landscape traditionally dominated by the SAT and ACT, a relatively new contender, the Classic Learning Test (CLT), is beginning to garner significant attention, particularly in politically conservative states.

Launched a decade ago by Classic Learning Initiatives, the CLT is designed to measure high school students’ verbal reasoning, grammar and writing, and mathematical skills, much like its counterparts. However, the CLT sets itself apart by exclusively utilizing reading-comprehension passages from “classic” works—an approach it touts as an invaluable opportunity for students to interact with texts and authors that have significantly influenced history and culture.

While the CLT was initially welcomed mainly by smaller and religious institutions, it is gradually expanding its acceptance.

In 2023, Florida became the first state to incorporate the CLT for undergraduate admissions at its 12 public universities. Since then, participation has skyrocketed; the number of test-takers surged from about 24,000 between 2016 and 2023 to an astounding additional 500,000 this fall alone, according to the organization.

This month, Politico reported that U.S. service academies will now accept the CLT for the 2027 admissions cycle. Additionally, conservative lawmakers in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming have enacted legislation encouraging its adoption in college admissions and state-funded scholarships.

The Classic Learning Test has gained traction among some Republican leaders who champion a “back to basics” educational philosophy. Notably, the board includes Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and an advocate against “critical race theory,” along with representatives from the conservative American Enterprise Institute and Hillsdale College.

This article will delve into what the CLT entails, its alignment with conservative educational ideologies, and how its testing methodologies compare to existing college readiness assessments.

What Content is Included in the Classic Learning Test?

The Classic Learning Test (CLT) targets 11th and 12th graders, covering reading, writing, and math within a roughly two-hour online format.

Similar to the SAT and ACT, the CLT contains reading passages followed by comprehension questions. “From a test-taker’s viewpoint, the tests are quite similar,” stated David Blobaum, co-founder of Summit Prep, a New Jersey-based test preparation company that supports all three exams. (All versions incur a similar fee of approximately $70.)

The primary distinction lies in the choice of reading materials. The CLT curates texts from authors identified by its board as pivotal to shaping history and culture, encompassing both secular and Christian works from various historical epochs, including ancient, medieval, and modern literature. Works by figures like Plato, Aristotle, and Dante appear alongside Christian saints’ writings within its public author repository.

Jeremy Tate, the CLT’s founder and CEO, argues that by gauging students’ comprehension of classic literature, the exam effectively measures their preparedness to engage with the Western intellectual tradition, which forms the backbone of much college-level literature, politics, and philosophy. “To be genuinely educated,” he contends, “students must acquire a profound understanding of these texts.”

The CLT’s selections feature longer excerpts, typically ranging from 500-600 words, which Tate claims facilitate a more accurate assessment of a student’s ability to engage with intricate texts compared to the SAT’s shorter 25-150 word passages. The College Board, which administers the SAT, challenges this assertion, maintaining that its new digital SAT maintains similar levels of text complexity and is a reliable predictor of college readiness.

The CLT’s mathematics section evaluates algebra, geometry, and mathematical reasoning without calculators. In contrast, both the SAT and ACT incorporate statistics within their math segments and permit calculator usage for parts of their respective exams.

How Popular is the CLT?

The CLT is currently accepted by over 300 institutions, primarily Christian colleges, as highlighted on the company’s website. Reports indicate that approximately 500,000 students took the CLT between 2023 and now, in stark contrast to the nearly 1.97 million students from the class of 2024 who undertook the SAT in the same year and roughly 1.4 million who completed the ACT.

Why Has the CLT Captivated Conservative Support?

The CLT has received accolades from several prominent Republican figures. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth dubbed it the “gold standard” in a social media post, while Indiana Senator Jim Banks commented on the acceptance of the test by military academies as a “triumph for merit and the future of America’s leaders.”

Oklahoma’s education head, Ryan Walters, sought a waiver to include the CLT among the SAT and alternative assessments for federal accountability assessments, lauding classical education as a return to foundational learning principles.

This rising interest in classical education taps into longstanding discussions within English classrooms about which authors students should read and what constitutes the literary canon—entries deemed historically significant or influential.

Proponents argue for exposing students to classic texts that have stood the test of time due to their literary significance or their foundational role in shaping contemporary discourse.

Conversely, detractors claim that students should also engage with modern literature reflecting their own experiences and featuring a broader range of racial and gender representation. Data suggest that many educators employ a blended approach, pairing classic works, such as Shakespeare, with contemporary young adult novels.

Tate views the CLT as a vehicle to sway educational focus back toward classics, attributing this perspective to his previous experience teaching in New York City, where he perceived a “spiritual moral crisis” in public education that could be alleviated through classical studies to bolster student virtue and character.

Critics, however, interpret this as a movement to downplay racial and gender diversity in curricula, aiming instead to revert to earlier educational frameworks primarily featuring white authors, noted Steve Sireci, a professor from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

In response to the test’s political associations, Tate claims that classical education should be inclusive, encompassing diverse ideologies. “We have perspectives from all across the spectrum,” he stated, referring to the CLT board’s composition.

“It’s fantastic that Pete Hegseth supports the CLT,” he added, underscoring his belief that classical texts represent a shared human inheritance, a view echoed by philosopher and CLT board member Cornel West.

Nevertheless, Tate has also employed culture-war rhetoric in discussions, casting classical education as a counter-narrative to “mainstream progressive nonsense” and critiquing contemporary curricula influenced by “critical race theory.”

What Readings are Featured in the CLT? How is “Classic” Defined?

The CLT curates an extensive author bank that serves as the basis for two-thirds of its exam text selections. This list originated from the assigned readings at St. Johns College, which emphasizes a “great books” program, along with input from Thomas Aquinas College, a Catholic institution in Santa Paula, California. Over time, the selection has expanded to include a variety of 19th and 20th-century authors and thinkers, from Virginia Woolf to Toni Morrison.

It is a misconception that classics are exclusively the domain of white authors or Western narratives. Anika Prather, an assistant professor of education and fellow CLT board member, highlights the ties between influential Black authors like W.E.B. Du Bois and the works of ancient Greeks, illustrating how classical literature resonates within diverse cultural contexts.

“There’s a recurring dialogue between classical literature and African narratives,” she asserts, emphasizing the historical connections that risk being overlooked when the classical tradition is perceived as monochromatic.

Does the CLT Predict College Success as Accurately as Other Standardized Tests?

Standardized tests are intended to gauge a student’s preparedness for college-level coursework. The SAT, backed by decades of empirical research showcasing a link between test scores and college success, is regarded as a robust predictive tool. Nonetheless, Bruce Sacerdote, an economics professor at Dartmouth, suggests the CLT may also hold predictive potential; however, comprehensive data supporting that claim is still limited.

The CLT has released a concordance report that asserts comparability between the CLT and SAT assessments. The College Board disputes this, arguing that the CLT’s report fails to meet industry-wide standards.

Despite recognition of the CLT as a valid alternative to the SAT by some states—such as Arkansas, which has mandated the acceptance of the CLT as a comparable measure—others remain skeptical. For instance, an evaluation conducted by the Iowa Board of Regents concluded there was insufficient evidence to endorse the CLT as a reliable predictive tool like its contemporaries.

Sarah Schwartz is a reporter for Education Week, focusing on curriculum and instructional developments.