<p>From what I heard and read, MIT requires international students to take either SAT+ SAT Subject tests or TOEFL+SAT Subject test. </p>
<p>Now, this does not make much sense to me since the TOEFL and the SAT exams are absolutely different (TOEFL doesnt have any math sections). </p>
<p>For example, while I received a near perfect score on the TOEFL, I received only a decent, not crazy impressive score on the SAT. It appears that there is not a very strong correlation between high SAT and high TOEFL scores.</p>
<p>So, considering that, my question would be do the SAT scores really an important role in the admission process for international students?</p>
<p>well what i have come to know when i asked the same question it’s really upto u which scores u prefer to send to MIT … cuz MIT does not prefer SAT score over TOEFL or the way round either … while it’s definitely recommended for international applicants but still not compulsory to have TOEFL instead of SAT I in their score list !!! …</p>
<p>P.S. this reply is not at all concerning to SAT II (the subject tests) but only comparison between TOEFL and SAT I(reasoning test)</p>
<p>The reason MIT has such flexible standardized testing requirements is that they use the test scores to see if, at baseline, you appear to be qualified for MIT. They will look at other parts of your application for more nuanced views.</p>
<p>“Now, this does not make much sense to me since the TOEFL and the SAT exams are absolutely different (TOEFL doesnt have any math sections).”</p>
<p>Thats the point.</p>
<p>The measurement is totally relative. TOEFL is for non-native speakers, while SAT-I is for native speakers. I think the idea is that if you are grown as a native speaker, the expectation is that you need to get a high score on SAT-I. However if you are grown as a non-native speaker, then the expectation for you is not to get such a high score on SAT-I, as its target is to measure your “first language”, the expectation is that you get a higher score on TOEFL.</p>
<p>In short, I think, its all about measuring how much you improved yourself. You can’t simply measure a native and non-native speaker in the same reference system, it would be unfair.</p>
<p>BTW SAT-I Math is more about logic, comparision and such. It doesn’t have much to do with the actual SAT-II math test you will take.</p>
<p>Definitely send in the TOEFL score. I’d say send the SAT Reasoning scores if each of the 3 sections was AROUND 700 or higher (basically 670-800 for each section). Otherwise your TOEFL score will be impressive enough for the purpose of standardized testing and proving that you have the English proficiency.</p>
<p>That being said, the tests do serve an important purpose. They determine if you have the minimum skills to enter MIT. The TOEFL is actually a decent test of whether you can function in English. That’s fairly important, as the overwhelming majority of MIT classes are taught in English. It’s also a key question with internationals, and one of the reasons that all international interviews are conducted in English. And as an international EC, I have interviewed candidates whose English is a tad dubious. So yes the TOEFL is pretty useful, but more as a way to keep out unqualified candidates, than as a mechanism which would allow high-scoring international candidates to shine.</p>
<p>The SAT2’s are also useful. It can be challenging for any institution to track all of the world’s various qualifications. What weight should be given to the fact that a candidate got an 8.73 on the (fictitious) Somalian National Mathematics Certificate? Standardised testing is one of the only hoops that EVERYONE needs to leap through, and can be a useful measure. This is particularly interesting in countries whose standard undergraduate curriculum in certain topics (Physics in my country) is different from the US curriculum, and therefore students will see topics that were never covered in class showing up on the SAT2 exam.</p>