<p>
</p>
<p>Again, all the evidence is that when final, close decisions are made, SATs play no role at all. It’s never two identical people, with different SATs. It’s two people with completely different packages of qualities, and the admissions staff is deciding which package to take. Or, more commonly, it’s two oboists, and the questions are which is the better oboist? and does the other have such overwhelming personal qualities (which would not include SAT scores) that they make up for a relatively small difference in oboe quality?</p>
<p>One exception, however, is going to be second-rank athletic recruits. Given rules about team SATs, when admissions officers are considering people not expected to be cornerstone stars, extra SAT points quite possibly make a meaningful difference between two likely benchwarmers.</p>