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Don’t kid yourself. If you look at the factors that Yale deems very important (see my previous post from the Yale CDS) you will see that standardized testing IS one of those. Is it the only factor? No, but it is a VERY important one.</p>
<p>Kdog044, may I direct you to this video? If you don’t trust me, maybe you’ll trust Mr. Brenzel, Dean of Admissions at Yale.</p>
<p><a href=“https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/testing/the-real-role-of-tests-in-your-college-application[/url]”>https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/testing/the-real-role-of-tests-in-your-college-application</a></p>
<p>The video is on the right of the page.</p>
<p>I’m not suggesting that someone with a 1500/20 can get into Yale. I’m suggesting that once you breach the 2100-2200/32-33 range, tests make little to no difference.</p>
<p>^^^ From everything I have read, that’s the way Admissions works at Yale and other selective colleges. It isn’t a meritocracy, whereby the top scorers gain admission, while others, with slightly lower scores, are waitlisted or rejected. Once a student’s test scores are within a college’s range, other factors, such as teacher recommendations, guidance counselor’s SSR, essays and EC’s become the deciding factor. That’s why the process is so subjective.</p>
<p>I never said that recommendations weren’t important but that standardized testing is important also. I realize it’s a holistic approach and a combination of all the very important factors. I do disagree that once you reach a certain threshold they are unimportant. Assume you have two students equal in all the other areas but one has a 2200 SAT and one has a 2350. Which one do you think will get the spot? I do agree with your assessment on the importance of the essays though.</p>
<p>Also at the link you provided:</p>
<p>How Important Are Scores to Colleges?</p>
<p>The importance of test scores in the admission process varies from college to college and depends on an institution’s admission approach and policies. Each college has its own policy. Some colleges, including more-selective colleges, may place a high level of importance on test scores — within the context of the other parts of your application.</p>
<p>“Assume you have two students equal in all the other areas but one has a 2200 SAT and one has a 2350.”</p>
<p>Two students are never equal. One is always going to have a better recommendation – and if a school has to decide between two candidates, as in your example above, I think they go with the student with the better rec even if that kid has the lower test score. Or, from everything I’ve read, if the Admissions Committee cannot decide between two students, both students will get passed over, and they move on to another candidate that will get a majority vote.</p>
<p>This article was a real eye-opener for me on how the admissions process works, at least at one school: [Reed</a> Magazine: Many Apply. Few are Chosen. (1/5)](<a href=“http://web.reed.edu/reed_magazine/spring2008/features/many_apply/index.html]Reed”>Reed Magazine: Many Apply. Few are Chosen. (1/5))</p>
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Well we can agree that all the factors are important. 
Our opinions on which would be more important are just that.</p>
<p>Kdog044: We can indeed agree that all factors are important!</p>