If SAT measures nothing but how wel you do on this "standardized" test, then why do colleges use it?

Applying to College
21

http://harvardpolitics.com/united-states/future-sat/

This article answers your question.
It’s been quite late. I’ll see you tomorrow:)

22

Oh man. They use the SAT and ACT because they’re the only two real choices where everyone takes the same tests. (Plus AP tests.) Idea: build something better, make a fortune.

What grades and rigor can show, when the actual high school is vetted, is motivation and drive. Of course, it’s also somewhat true that those kids who practice their way into high std test scores are also showing some motivation and drive.

23

I read that article. I’m not super up on the common core but I don’t really understand what is going to change that much. I was pretty sure when I took the test I was using critical thinking and close reading in the critical reading and math sections. I’m glad they are getting rid of the writing and that is probably easiest to study for but I think it’s pretty disregarded by many colleges anyway. I mean less big words is cool but I think knowing big words is more about reading than studying. I did fine on vocab because I read a lot. It sounds like the test will be a bit better but it doesn’t sound life changing. Have you taken the test @leagueoflegions‌? Because I truly don’t understand how the common core is much different than the current test. Also they said they won’t penalized for wrong answers which is nice but doesn’t seem huge . I didn’t skip any and if you are getting a private tutor telling you to skip answers on the current test you probably aren’t getting too hot of a grade anyway.

24

SAT is like an IQ test. Especially the CR reading part to a large extent, and mathematics. They just want to check if you have basic intelligence. You hard work shows on your grades, your innate intelligence shows on your SAT’s…especially the subject test…even SAT CR though has a lot of question that involve reasoning. So, in no way is it useless, in my opinion. Nothing useless survives for over four decades.

25

I have no love for the SAT itself, but then again, I am a NMSF going on NMF and I plan to use that title to get a scholarship, so I shouldn’t complain. Do I think that it really shows my strengths? Not really, but then again, I can understand that the colleges need something to look at. Without it it might be harder for home schooled kids like me to get into colleges because without it they might not have anything standard to measure them with. I don’t like it, but I think it’s true.

@michaelite said “Nothing useless survives over four decades.” Ever heard of… well, never mind, I guess we aren’t supposed to get political on here.

26

So OP, u really believe that a 1800 scorer has the same academic ability as a 2200 scorer?

27

@‌GMTplus7

If they had the same GPA, maybe so. Would you assume someone with a 2350 overall is good at math in real life?

28

I agree with @albert69 1800 is still 80 percentile. Number needs to be lower like 1600.

29

The person with the 2350 that I mentioned has gotten Cs in math all through high school. He failed the AP Calculus exam and retook Calc I at the community college, still scraping by with a C if he passed at all. That 750+ on math is really going to help him in engineering.

I’m not saying that there can’t be a correlation between SAT scores and academic ability. But it is by no means foolproof or entirely consistent.

30

@albert69‌ I agree on the point that its not something that tests academic standing, but it does check if you have ‘some’ basic intelligence.

31

That’s why the UK system is better, in my opinion. They have final exams and the exam board (Camdridge or Edexcel) is responsible for them, not the school. So if you do well in school and poorly in the final exams, the AdComms will know that the school is not up to the mark.

32

True

33

This is the English regents in NY State without common core standards: http://www.nysedregents.org/comprehensiveenglish/814/engl82014-exam.pdf

This is the English regents with CCS:
http://www.nysedregents.org/hsela/814/hsela82014-exam.pdf

Compare them yourself and you will notice a difference.

34

The version without common core is more straight forward and fact orientated. Common Core version looks a lot like the ACT and consequently a large percentage of the questions are debatable. I prefer the version without common core.

In fact those tests illustrate the reason I would say a 1800 on the SAT isn’t necessarily indicative of lower academic performance.

35

Very true.