Ten Years of High Standards
An Interview With Matthew Tolbert,
CLT's Only Perfect-Score
It’s been ten years since the launch of the Classic Learning Test, the classically-grounded standardized testing alternative. Since its beginnings in a classroom in 2015, CLT has grown into a full suite of assessments and resources, fueling the heart of the movement to reclaim education and gaining momentum every day. This return to tradition comes in no small part through the celebration of rigor–true learning, character, and achievement. In a world of grade inflation and lowered standards, students need a test that believes in them enough to offer them a challenge.
Reflecting on this legacy of high standards, we want to recognize the achievement of a student in our history, Matthew Tolbert, who earned the first and only perfect score throughout ten years of CLT testing. Matthew is now sharing his gifts with us as a summer intern in the Test Development Department, and we had a conversation with him about his CLT experience, education, and advice to share with you all.
The passages and problems were educational in themselves. I remember walking out of every test feeling like I'd learned something new from every passage.
CLT: Thanks for chatting. To start, could you briefly tell us about yourself?
MT: I’m Matthew Tolbert, a sophomore at Hillsdale College studying mathematics and computer science. I was homeschooled all the way through high school, and I am currently considering pursuing graduate school in one of my fields of study and a career as a software engineer.
CLT: What was your CLT test-taking experience like?
MT: I took the CLT8 in eighth grade and the CLT10 once in ninth grade and twice in tenth grade. All of these were at-home proctored. After that, I took the Official CLT exactly once, this time remotely proctored.
The content actually made my time worth it. I remember walking out of every test feeling like I’d learned something new from every passage. Taking the CLT helped connect me to intriguing texts that I otherwise would not have known how to find. For example, I still remember reading Virginia Woolf’s “On Being Ill”, a passage on a CLT assessment I took at some point. That work shaped my understanding of poetic language deeply. It comes back to mind whenever I ponder both romantic relationships and health problems!
CLT: What was your favorite section of the test, and why?
MT: Definitely Quantitative Reasoning—the problems are always a blast to solve, and they always involve intriguing setups. It’s not a coincidence that they resemble the problems I solve on Hillsdale’s math team!
CLT: You took the CLT, SAT, and ACT. How did taking the CLT compare to other tests in terms of testing experience?
MT: The CLT better respected my time. First off, I didn’t have to worry about test start times hours before teenagers should be awake, since I could select my own start time for remote proctoring. Second, the fact that the CLT is shorter and can be taken at home meant that it consumed less of my day. Finally, the kinds of passages and problems I faced were educational in and of themselves. There are just two passages I remember from the conventional admissions tests—and I only remember them because of how hilariously bad they were. In other words, the CLT used less time better while respecting teenagers’ sleep cycles. What’s not to like?
CLT: You’re now working with CLT in our internship program—can you tell us about what that experience has been like so far?
MT: I am working on the psychometrics side of the Test Development department, where we calibrate tests’ difficulty and make sure scores measure consistently. This summer, we’re attempting to see if we can use artificial intelligence to estimate individual questions’ difficulty.. It’s been a blast! I’ve been taking on the theoretical side of our project. For me, that means that I’ve read a lot of academic literature to make sure that we have mathematically sound approaches to estimating questions’ difficulties. Armed with that information, I also work to isolate the causes of inaccuracies and then correct them.
CLT: Thanks for your hard work! To close, are there any testing tips you would give to prospective CLT testers?
MT: The test gives you time to read and enjoy the passages, and it rewards students who aim to understand the passages. Contrary to the advice you’ve heard for just about every other standardized test you’ll take, take the time to process each passage before answering the questions. You can’t just look for the details necessary to answer each question in isolation!
If you enjoyed this interview and would like to know more about the Classic Learning Test or register for an upcoming exam, you can do so on our main website. If you’d like to look into our philosophy of education, check out our podcast, Anchored, or our series here at the Journal about the men and women of our Author Bank, and their participation in what the late Mortimer Adler of the University of Chicago called “the Great Conversation.” Thank you for reading.
Published on 26th June, 2025.