Using Creativity to Reduce Ethnic Bias in College Admissions

College admissions testing typically focuses on grade point average (GPA) and SAT scores. Without disputing the importance of these predictors, one may wonder whether they are enough by themselves to determine eventual academic success. One possible additional construct, creativity, is examined via the lens of nonbiased assessment. It is argued that creativity can help reduce bias in two ways. First, adding creativity as a supplement to current assessments would present a truer reflection of a person's overall intellectual abilities. Second, most studies have found that different ethnicities perform comparably on creativity tasks, and some minority groups may be more likely to see themselves as creative. Including creativity as a component of standardized tests may, therefore, reduce stereotype threat.