<p>This idea of SAT score being detemined by socioeconomic class and other factors as compared to academic prowess is a joke in my opinion. Yes there are correlations between income and scores, and hiring a tutor may help, but the simple fact is that if you have the willpower or the talent you will succeed at the SATs. Myself and quite a few other classmates of mine (mostly all accepted to top schools) barely studied for the SAT or studied primarily off of cheap/free resources from online or through a review book. I got a 2370 after a few weeks of studying off of a review book, and you don’t need an expensive class or tutor to do well.</p>
<p>Ultimately the SATs are not an effective predictor of success by themselves because they only test a specific set of skills, but they are some of the best objective measures of qualificiation availiable at the moment. Also I think that the SAT IIs are an underrated means of determining qualification as well, I rarely ever see them being much of a factor in admissions.</p>