<p>Most people would probably agree that the ACT and SAT reasoning are pretty stupid. It really only measures speed rather than intellect. But I also know that some admission officers see 700 on a SAT II as good enough, when it actually qualifies in like the 80th percentile. And I'm also under the impression that some of them don't know that you can miss some questions and still get an 800. So even though standardized tests can be misleading in terms of portraying the student as a whole, do officers still place a lot of weight on standardized tests? What's the real difference between a 36 and a 33 or a 32 from a 29?</p>
<p>Um, this is kind of the wrong forum.</p>
<p>lol I was aiming my laptop mouse at college admission. but i guess it strayed on me</p>
<p>Unfortunately they are important; it's important to be in range of the college you are applying to. Also they are important for merit $. Colleges have to worry about their stats, so they have to look at yours.</p>
<p>I've read this: They're more important than adcoms like to admit, but less important than applicants think they are.</p>
<p>They are important because they are the only thing that colleges have that are consistent across all applicants. High school classes, GPAs, rankings, etc. are very different from high school to high school, but test scores are the same regardless of where you live or what high school you attend. </p>
<p>And yes, admissions officers know that you can get an 800 and still miss a couple of questions.</p>
<p>you think its stupid because you are not good at it(maybe I'm wrong) I think it is excellent exam to test peoples' vocabulary(im talking about cr section) my reading skills improved a lot from SAT studying</p>
<p>^but knowing a bunch of random vocab words doesn't really predict success in college.............</p>
<p>^^^^^^^ agreed. Stop complaining and start studying. I actually love the SAT- and so far the only people I see complaining about it are slackers who fail at all aspects of academics- and in some cases- life. I have a few friends who score fairly high, and they're all articulate and intelligent human beings. The SAT may not be the best indicator of intellect but it sure as hell isn't the worst.</p>
<p>"I actually love the SAT- and so far the only people I see complaining about it are slackers who fail at all aspects of academics- and in some cases- life."</p>
<p>Well, perhaps I can be the first 2310 student you meet who hates it. The test attempts to categorize millions of applicants in a short 3-4 hour period. It addresses only three subjects, even though a school might care little about the math (or CR, or writing) portion and much more about another subject.</p>
<p>Nor does the SAT measure creativity, effort, passion, individuality, commitment or ethics--characteristics that just about all colleges care about. </p>
<p>I think students should focus on APPLYING their intelligence, not proving it. That's what gets you into college.</p>
<p>
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Most people would probably agree that the ACT and SAT reasoning are pretty stupid
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</p>
<p>Pretty hard generalization there.</p>
<p>
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It really only measures speed rather than intellect.
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</p>
<p>Not really. Once you've studied enough speed is hardly a factor at all. </p>
<p>
[quote]
What's the real difference between a 36 and a 33 or a 32 from a 29?/quote]</p>
<p>Well, a 29 means that more than 1 out of 20 people scored better than you, and a 36 means that only about 1 out of 4,000 people scored equal to you.</p>
<p>Standardized tests are the most important admissions factor to most selective universities, though there are many other factors as well whose cumulative importance far outweighs standardized tests.</p>
<p>"Nor does the SAT measure creativity, effort, passion, individuality, commitment or ethics--characteristics that just about all colleges care about"</p>
<p>Oh, you're right! I guess that's why we have to write essays, show commitment to EC, and all that good stuff. The "applying" pretty much comes into play when you write your essays and go to class. it's all part of the package, and colleges want that whole package. </p>
<p>Don't lie to your self, you don't hate it. I don't see you posting threads calling the SAT "stupid". That's just overkill.</p>
<p>high SAT scores mean nothing... nothin!!!!!</p>
<p>All one needs to do is watch as medians go up at competitive schools year over year to know they are important and the schools do not agree with the OP's assessment. Once a score is in range they become less important, but being in range is key.</p>
<p>^ I know what ur talking about </p>
<p>what's a comfortably borderline range for the best schools?</p>
<p>If you have no hook it starts at the median IMO, for a reasonably good chance look at the 75th percentile numbers.</p>
<p>We'll take Dartmouth, not the most difficult but very difficult. For last year's class:</p>
<p>median: 730CR 740M </p>
<p>75th percentile: 770CR 780M</p>
<p>"Standardized tests are the most important admissions factor to most selective universities"
At universities, yes. At liberal arts colleges, a decisive NO. Plenty of great liberal arts schools don't even require it; at least one (Sarah Lawrence) won't look at it at all.</p>
<p>"Don't lie to your self, you don't hate it. I don't see you posting threads calling the SAT "stupid". That's just overkill."</p>
<p>I don't have to announce to the rest of College Confidential that I hate something. I prefer to rage against the test in my head. :-)</p>
<p>What's consider the "more: important ? the SAT and ACT or the GPA ?</p>
<p>It's the whole application viewed together. For one student, the SAT may be the thing that tips them into the acceptance pile and for another it may be the GPA, but both will have a lot of other information that is taken into consideration as well. Having said that, I think colleges put a lot more emphasis on test scores than they are willing to admit publicly.</p>
<p>i disagree with those saying SAT is stupid. SAT is a big block separating those grades inflated noobs(there are many people like these in my school. intelligent? idk, but sure can do what the teacher says. HW,do it. test tomorrow. oh study~~everyone with lil motivation can do this) from the well rounded students. imagine every getting 4.0s in their school, everyone would be applying to HYPS and have a fair chance at all schools. SAT might not be the perfect indicator of ur college success, but it is something that u need to pwn to ensure that u're motivated enough to accomplish something.</p>