<p>I remember reading an essay by James Fallows (former USNWR editor) in The Atlantic in which he asserts that, despite all the criticism, the SAT is actually increasing in importance as an admissions tool, because of the vagaries of high school gpas and profiles, and the seemingly ever-increasing numbers of applications to be processed. To me this makes sense. So I agree with patuxent and others here. There's no problem with the profile supplied by well-known schools, but the vast majority may not be readily accepted. So the SAT remains, for the great majority, the best way for brilliant kids from little-known places to stand out.</p>