ACT and SAT each have their own parts of the country. The GRE has its lock on graduate admissions. And so, one could blame the companies, but really, economically, they have no incentive to change things very much because they’re getting the business.

Sternberg is criticizing the market structure of standardized testing in the United States. By noting that the ACT and SAT dominate different regions and that the GRE effectively controls a key gateway to graduate school, he frames testing not as a purely educational tool but as an entrenched industry. The quote argues that the persistence of these exams is driven less by their proven educational value than by economic incentives: as long as institutions keep buying the product and students must comply, testing companies have little reason to reform or relinquish influence. The implication is that meaningful change would require shifting institutional demand and admissions practices, not merely blaming test makers.