<p>Then your scope of argument is too limited. One would have to use SAT Reasoning Test data in order to establish any sort of convincing position on SAT Subject Tests in light of the absence of data directly relating to them. Because you can’t prove that admissions officers do consider 750 and 800 to be of a negligible difference (which I gather is what you are asserting; again, correct me if not), you should at the very least present very intuitive reasons that 800 is not better than 750. Yet, you seem to have conceded to that fact, so I do not understand the remaining support for your argument beyond the narrow and generally irrelevant idea that some people who are very good at math do not score 800 on the test.</p>
<p>Re: post 79
No - numbers are not the point. You , obviously, do not understand that. And, your tendency to take a single sentence out of context makes it clear that you have little interest in an actual debate.
My point was that the AMC/AIME/USAMO is, like some other tests (and other general indicators of high ability) available to many, although not known to all high school students. This series is used by around 40,000 high schools of high ability. Given that the total number of kids who apply to the elite schools is probably in the high 10s to low 100s of thousands, it would seem that this series is available and taken by a considerable number of the applicants to elite schools. Therefore, for those schools, for distinguishing higher levels of math than the SAT subject math 2 test, it has considerable weight. Admissions officers know about the series and understand it fairly well. Some admissions offices specifically request AMC/AIME/USAMO scores as well.
That not all applicants to the elites know of this test is not relevant. I am not arguing that it should replace all other measures.</p>
<p>RE: 81
Your comment is absurd. I have, in fact, commented on the lack of any actual data. I am stating an opinion, which has several reasons. A short summary:
The sample set known to me of very skilled math students have not all scored 800 on the test in question. Others who have wider knowledge of these students concur - exceedingly good students in math do not always score an 800 on this test.
These students demonstrate their abilities in other ways, including , but not limited to the AMC/AIME/USAMO, Mandelbrot, college courses, etc.
These students number in the moderate thousands. They are an important subset of the set of students applying to elite schools.
Admissions counselors are doubtless familiar with all the above. It would seem quite likely that they disregard the non-800s for this set of students.
Therefore, there is at least one important subset of the set of students applying to elite schools whose scores are treated as I suggest.
You discount my statement that admissions folks have told me that they do not care about the difference between a 750 and an 800 on the sat subject math 2 test. You merely assert that they are lying. </p>
<p>I could posit other theories, but given that all the other posters seem to have fled and that your ability to respond in depth to an assertion is non-existent, I choose to spend my energies elsewhere.</p>
<p>For a group of truly exceptional students, perhaps this is the case. I would suspect, however, that this group numbers under three hundred–about how many USAMO qualifiers apply to college each year. Considering that the applicant pool to a top university is probably only about one percent composed of such students, I do not see how you are providing general enough support for your original post: </p>
<p>I hope not. I give you enough credit to assume that you have support for your strongly held opinion that goes beyond your anecdotes and discussions with people who regularly disseminate incorrect information–all of which are directly contradictory to what is intuitive and what the data suggest.</p>