<p>Why do colleges value GPA so much more than the SAT. Many of the school websites say test scores are much smaller factor than most people think. I know the sat has flaws but gpa,imo, has many more. There are so many schools and the grading system has such a wide disparity even between my local counties. Furthermore, each school has different kinds of teachers which means different levels of difficulty even in the same school. My apush class is so easy and half the class gets A's but the teacher across the hall rarely hands out A's. So how do colleges note this difference which can occur in thousands of hs's?</p>
<p>I don’t think GPA is that much more important. Lacking in either one will effectively kill your application unless you have a hook. I think class rank is just as, maybe more so, important than GPA because many schools have varied grading systems, so class rank places the student against the entire class. Like if you aren’t in the top 10% of your class, you generally don’t have a chance of getting into an ivy or highly selective school, although top 5% is more ideal.</p>
<p>Schools do value GPA more in general. Why would schools use a one time test given on a Saturday morning as the most important indicator of potential success vs. consistent effort across a four year period. Also, studies indicate HS GPA is the single best predictor. [And</a> the best predictor of college success is …](<a href=“http://www.higheredmorning.com/and-the-best-predictor-of-college-success-is]And”>http://www.higheredmorning.com/and-the-best-predictor-of-college-success-is)</p>
<p>But what about the disparity between gpa’s at different schools. They can vary so much because of things like difficulty. I had some lax teachers in the past for history and science while other ones in the same school were far more difficult. Then on a national scale, there are alot of differences. Different schools have different policies. For example at my school, physics and chemistry are normal classes but just across the county, they are honors classes with the same covered material and get a boost in the gpa.</p>
<p>Oh well. If only gpa were standardized.</p>
<p>I agree. I’d say that SAT should be twice as important as GPA. SAT practically tests what you have learned throughout the 4 years at high school.</p>
<p>Im not saying that gpa should be abolished or anything. Just that needs to be more standardized. Thats what the problem is but I realize its easier said than done.</p>
<p>Maybe there has to be something else. Some other kind of test/indicator which eliminates most of the holes in the current system? I dont know.</p>
<p>GPA is not evaluated purely based on numbers, though. It is always accompanied by a transcript. 4.0 + weak transcript won’t get you admitted but a tough transcript/course load can explain a 3.7.</p>
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<p>I absolutely disagree with this. I sincerely hope that you have learned more than reading comprehension, basic grammar, and algebra in High School. What about science, history, literature? How about oral presentation, debate, and even teamwork. All of these skills are in no way assessed on the SAT. </p>
<p>This is why I am a proponent of baccalaureate systems (especially IB). People all around the world learn the same curricula, take the same tests, and are then standardized on the same curve. It’s obviously not perfect; but compared to GPA+SAT it’s pretty great.</p>
<p>Put it this way, if you are applying to a Top 20 school, even if you are in the top 5% of your class, if your SAT score is below the 50th percentile for the school and you are unhooked, you are pretty much rejected.</p>
<p>^ that is not true at all and is clearly flawed logic. you’re saying half the school is hooked? no.</p>
<p>Only problem with a world wide one is that there are different amount of funds, resources, and people in every region. Makes it nearly impossible actually.</p>
<p>The SAT should get rid of the writing section and add a section dedicated to pure apititude which you cannot study for.</p>
<p>Lol zephead’s sarcasm went right over the head of that other guy… What a noob</p>
<p>GPA- 4 years
SAT- 4 hours</p>
<p>haha looks this will never be resolved!</p>
<p>GPA is a statistic that is gathered over data over a time span of 4 years. This, along with a strong transcript (AP/IB/Honors/whatever else), is a much better indicator of college success than an SAT that lasts 4 hours.</p>
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<p>Not true at all? So even if I’m number 3 in my class and I scored a 1870 on my SAT and I’m applying to say Duke and I am not a URM, athlete or legacy, I could still get in? No I wouldn’t. Despite my extremely high class rank an 1870 SAT is very weak for Duke and I really would not have a chance with that score.</p>
<p>And no, it’s not logic. It’s basically a fact. Source? Actual admissions officers, and HS guidance counselor.</p>
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What about biased grading?</p>
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That will never happen.</p>
<p>^why? If things got removed and added before, why cant that be the case now? </p>
<p>And I concur with biased grading. Some schools are easier than others. To break it down further, teachers in the same school teaching the same subject can have a huge disparity in teaching methods. </p>
<p>Some of my teachers add bonus questions to tests like “who is the best teacher?” or easy questions on physics tests like “what is the charge of a proton?” Other teachers in the same hall teaching the same subject have much harder tests and hw and stress and you get the point. You cant blame teachers because it is impossible to have identical teaching styles but it does raise issues.</p>
<p>all of these factors do have an impact on gpa.</p>
<p>There is research testing the relative predictive capabilities of GPA and the SAT. See for example [this</a> Berkeley paper](<a href=“Publications | Center for Studies in Higher Education”>Publications | Center for Studies in Higher Education). From the abstract:</p>
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<p>Furthermore, of the three parts of the SAT, the writing section seems to be the best indicator of college success. (The paper used the old SAT II Writing, which became the writing section of the SAT in 2005.)</p>
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<p>Most grading is inherently biased. How about your SAT essay, couldn’t the reader be biased?</p>
<p>I’m not saying the SAT should be gotten rid of or anything. GPA, AP/IB scores, and SAT scores should all be taken into account holistically when evaluating a student. I still think that the four years of work represented by a strong GPA accompanied by a good transcript should count for more than what is pretty much a test which tests how well you take tests. </p>
<p>Also, i’m curious; We’re you being sarcastic in that first post? Because reading back over I really can’t tell xD</p>