(TotalConservative.com) – Vivek Ramaswamy is certainly turning out to be a unique candidate in the Republican presidential nomination primary, and his latest controversial take is that the SAT should include tests on physical fitness.
SAT scores are considered by many colleges around the country when considering students to admit, but one area the test does not focus on or measure is physical conditions and fitness. The test focuses on three main areas: reading; writing and language; and mathematics.
The author, entrepreneur, and now presidential candidate Ramaswamy wrote and posted on Twitter his thoughts about SAT scores. He stated that since the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action, “colleges will only further deprioritize SAT scores” and focus on “subjective factors because of large racial disparities” in the results. Ramaswamy said the “simple way forward” to “drive excellence and diversity of talent” among the student body is to also test their bodies. He says a “physical fitness section” should be added by the College Board to the SAT.
Ramaswamy said the prospective test could “mirror the ‘Presidential Fitness test,’” which includes push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, a 1-mile run, and more. He noted that there used to be mandatory testing of fitness in American schools “until the Obama White House” phased it out.
The GOP presidential hopeful said his solution is “pro-merit” and “rewards diverse talents.” He also said “it’s a fact” that those who score highest on the other parts of the test tend to not do as well on “the 1-mile run, and vice versa.” Ramaswamy also believes such requirements could “help address a growing mental health crisis” in America because there’s a correlation between lower rates of anxiety, depression, and drug abuse, and physical fitness.
Ramaswamy clarified that his position isn’t a formal part of his platform, but that “it’s a serious proposal to address” problems in the culture related to health, and that “most solutions” don’t require a “top-down” government approach.
Of course, this may only cause more backlash from leftwing opponents. One university MSNBC columnist wrote an article about how exercise and physical fitness are used to recruit people into right-wing extremist movements.
Copyright 2023, TotalConservative.com
