U.S. Military Academies to Allow Conservative Alternative to ACT and SAT

The long-time standard-bearers of college admissions tests that ACT and SAT will have a new competitor at the U.S. Military Academies starting in February 2026.
The Classic Learning Test (CLT) was founded in 2015 by Jeremy Tate and is accepted by more than 300 colleges and universities, including all public universities in Florida.
What sets the CLT apart from the ACT and SAT is a heavy focus on Western tradition with reading passages drawn from names such as Kant, Dickens, Thucydides, Maimonides and Orwell, with text passages running 500-750 compared to 25-150 on the SAT.
Liberals are concerned that the Defense Department is trying to create officers in a certain political mindset (conservative) that could potentially affect military strategy for decades if it becomes widely accepted as an admissions tool.
The ACT and SAT have a duopoly and leave students with little choice when it comes to college admissions tests. It’s possible that the for-profit aspect of the CLT will have them chasing profits over the welfare of the students, but the non-profit ACT and SAT have profited handsomely from the tens of thousands of students that take their tests each year without always accurately predicting future college success.
Competition is good for everyone-especially the students, unless it’s your liberal ox that being gored.