This paper examines if perceptions of test legitimacy increase when racial differences on test performance match the racial status quo or when a perceiver's in‐group performs better than expected, relative to other groups. Study 1 assesses expected performance difference for various racial groups on a GRE‐like test. Study 2 assesses White and Asian participants' perceptions of legitimacy of a test that either favors the in‐group or an out‐group. Study 3 replicates Study 2 using individuals from high‐ and low‐status groups (Asians and Latinos, respectively). The findings suggest that the desire to benefit the in‐group trumps the desire to justify the status quo in accounting for the impact of race‐based performance differences on perceptions of test legitimacy.
