Northeastern Speaks on value of SAT Writing Test

Test Preparation
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<p>The article below was printed in Letters to the Editor in the Boston Globe Sept 24, 2007:</p>

<p>IN RESPONSE to "Many colleges ignore SAT writing test" (Page A1, Sept. 20), we wish to assure students and parents that Northeastern University is not "ignoring" the test. We are constantly on the lookout for measures that will predict success at Northeastern. Part of our search involves identifying the "noncognitive" traits, such as creativity and resiliency, that are most tied to student success, and looking for these traits in our applicants. Another part involves the cognitive skills, the kind designed to be measured by tests such as the SAT.</p>

<p>This year, researchers at the University of California found that high school grade point average was the single best predictor of the longer-term success of their students. After high school GPA, the next best predictor was what is now the SAT writing test.</p>

<p>As one aspect of continually evaluating the factors associated with student success at Northeastern and beyond, we attempted to replicate their methodology, and found much the same thing. Our evaluation does not judge whether the SAT writing test is a valid measure of writing ability. It is, however, picking up some qualities clearly important to academic success. We cannot ignore that.</p>

<p>NEAL FOGG
Director of enrollment research</p>

<p>RONN</p>

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<p>Does anyone know what other schools look at writing? Specifically if,
rice, brown, northwestern, vanderbilt, tulane, cornell, johns hopkins do?</p>

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<p>Shouldn't this be in the SAT forum?</p>

<p>This is a real shocker to me, at least from reading here. We all learn to write cookie-cutter crap and find all the loopholes (e.x. that your "facts" and "examples" can be outright lies, if they support your idea).</p>

<p>Ah, they say it isn't necessarily an indicator of writing ability, but of academic success. That doesn't surprise me as much, although I can't put my finger on why...</p>

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<p>Matt123234, look at the current Common Data Set information for each school to find out how they are using the writing section of the SAT. Vanderbilt, one of the schools you asked about, is using the writing section for admission and to compare with essays if necessary: <a href="https://virg.vanderbilt.edu/virgweb/CDSC.aspx?year=2006%5B/url%5D"&gt;https://virg.vanderbilt.edu/virgweb/CDSC.aspx?year=2006&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>For more schools, check the Parent's Forum thread on the SAT Writing exam that is currently active (started by marite). On page 1 is a summary of Common Data Set information for several schools.</p>