We have often had occasion to note how egalitarianism turns out to be the enemy of genuine fairness. The latest example is a new program developed by the Educational Testing Service, the folks that bring us the Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SATs). It is called “Strivers.” Comparing it to race-based affirmative action, Amy Dockser Marcus, reporting on the program recently in The Wall Street Journal, noted that Strivers “is designed to give colleges a tool for bringing social equity into the admissions process.”

Ms. Marcus likened the idea behind Strivers to a golf handicap. In light of the recent revelations about President Clinton’s habit of retaking shots without penalty, the analogy from golf seemed especially apt. Here’s how it works. The ETS has come up with a formula that will generate what it calls an “expected” SAT score for every student by considering fourteen extrinsi ...

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