As part of a study of access and admission to higher education in Germany and the United States, a German specialist was invited to critique the American system of access to higher education, especially admission testing and open admission. The author's objective is to present selected problems related to objective testing within the framework of admission to higher education and to open admissions in the U.S., and to interpret these problems in the context of German experiences. Of primary concern is admission to undergraduate study; graduate and professional education receive only limited consideration. It is suggested that while objective tests have a certain usefulness whenever the criteria for judging achievement in the schools vary widely and the higher education system is hierarchical, tests play a role in the U.S. greater than can be explained on this basis. From one point of view it is argued that objective testing can be eliminated in the U.S. Three thematic issues in open admissions are addressed: the limits of openness; the coexistence of open and selective admissions, and the problems it creates; and procedures in open admissions. A bibliography is included. (MSE)