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<p>What everybody else is saying (including me) is that is UNNECESSARY to separate out the top performers. The other factors come into play to separate out the candidates, and not the 20 point differential.</p>
<p>I think the biggest problem is the nature of your proposed test. Taking the “hardest” SAT questions isn’t going to make a hard test. The majority of high(2300+) scorers are not thrown off by what are considered “hard” questions on the SAT. Usually they make minor slip ups, and sometimes on easy questions.</p>
<p>LOL: this is funny. Of the 42 previous posts, ALL BUT ONE (poster offered another suggested test system) have lined up against the OP.</p>
<p>This has been quite the stirring thread! The most one-sided I’ve ever seen. </p>
<p>Fight the good fight BTB! Go down swinging! Don Quixote lives! Don’t let them take you alive!</p>
<p>I agree with OP. The SAT score system is so flaw. You won’t get the same points for the easy questions than the tough ones in any international standard tests. You only need to know 10th grade materials to have good SAT scores. It may be better off to have everyone to take five SAT Subject tests like Math, English, History, two sciences. Of cause the curve for SAT subject tests should be made tougher too.</p>
<p>^ RAWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR</p>
<p>41 against 1! </p>
<p><em>Howls battle cry as we slaughter him</em></p>
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<p>If so, then how come over 95% of American students ‘fail’ the SAT (by CC eyes)? 95th percentile is a simple 2000, which would send most of you crying. If really all you need is to know 10th grade material to do good on the SAT, then I’m sad that apparently 95% of students don’t know 10th grade material to proper competency.</p>
<p>That’s why ACT is getting more popular.</p>
<p>Can you imagine going to school where every single student is a ‘perfect’ 2400?? And that was THE only criteria for admissions?? I don’t think it would make for a very diverse population at all - JMHO tho 
That certainly would not take into account folks who are very talented and ‘intelligent’ in other areas that are not included in the SAT - or even a SUPER SAT - uuggh - I don’t think the Ivies would want anything to do with that - not all perfect 2400’s are as successful as other not so ‘perfect’ folks.</p>
<p>That is one reason the Ivies use the Academic Index to even the playing field for all applicants - as it is a much better indicator of success than just 1 test would be.</p>
<p>It is sad to think that someone thinks that the SAT - of any kind - is a measure - true or false - of intelligence.</p>
<p>Not to mention, who would the employers be who would seek such graduates? How would a school that turns out the top test-takers/studiers/homework-doers market itself?</p>
<p>In terms of the standard curriculum in other countries, it is true that the SAT math section is ridiculously easy. I have met Chinese graduate students at United States universities who deride the GRE general test math section (which is at about the same level of difficulty as the SAT math section) as “junior high math.” That is literally true in terms of the curriculum in China. </p>
<p>That said, colleges already have other tests they can look at, notably the AMC tests for math, </p>
<p>[MAA</a> American Mathematics Competitions - AMC](<a href=“http://www.unl.edu/amc/index.shtml]MAA”>http://www.unl.edu/amc/index.shtml) </p>
<p>that they can use to distinguish test-takers who find the SAT easy. And, as noted above, all of the better colleges that are harder to get into also look for student characteristics and achievements that are developed outside the study hall and demonstrated outside the testing room.</p>
<p>Just don’t think that ANY standardized test can/will test the ‘intelligence’ in the arts - the sciences - foreign languages - the classics - etc… in one shot - since it only tests on M/V/W - not comprehensive enough by any means - so not a ‘true test’ of intelligence by any means.</p>
<p>That is why the AI is so effective - in some form - those ‘other’ courses/interests are taken into consideration - be it only being a number - at least the AI DOES consider/encompass other things that the student may excell in - and thus be ‘intelligent’ in.</p>
<p>And that is exactly why the Ivies would never consider just SAT/SUPER SAT based test as it’s only criteria for admissions - how boring that would be.</p>
<p>(And can one just imagine that on the day of taking that 1 single test - one gets deathly ill and under-achieves - oooooooo dear) 
done would be the opportunity for that coveted admission to an Ivy 
Many a genious would end up at State U (which some choose to do anyways :)</p>
<p>I basically agree with the OP, at least in the sense that having a test that is too easy is not particularly helpful for distinguishing among the top students. Several posters seem to be upset that anyone would suggest that a college might want to identify the premier test takers as a means for selecting SOME of its students.</p>
<p>If a faculty member gives an exam in a class and the class average is 90 percent, then the test is too easy. Furthermore, the test likely cannot be used to distinguish between someone who knows 90 percent of the material and someone who makes a silly mistake. On the other hand, if a test is given that is more difficult, a student who understabnds all of the intracacies of the subject has a much higher probablilty of standing out from the average scoring student.</p>
<p>I interview for MIT. I have interviewed a number of students who have SAT I scores between 2350 and 2400 with 5 to 8 SAT IIs, all of which are 800. Some of these students appear to be much brighter than others. While it may be true that right now MIT doesn’t distinguish beween these students, it might be nice for such a student to be able to show that he/she is not only in the top 1% but rather in the top 1% of 1% of all students. I know there are various mathematical competitions, etc. that a student could enter, but why not just make the tests a little harder so that very few students get a perfect score? For schools such as MIT and CalTech, the current SAT II math tests are fairly useless, because essentially every applicant gets 800. The problem is, since the tests are so easy, they can only weed out students who do not make errors on these tests. My daughter (who was accepted to CalTech) took the SAT I twice. The first time she took the test she only received a 730 on the math section. We ordered score report and found out that she missed ONE PROBLEM. Fortunately, she took it again and received an 800, but making the test that easy forces silly errors to penalize a student tremendously.</p>
<p>I doubt if the OP is thinking that “Super SAT” test scores should be the ONLY criteria used for deciding who is admitted to a class. Admission staff would certainly still use additional criteria. But if the SAT test were made much more difficult, it could possibly allow for identification of a small percentage of the bightest students who were just so much brighter than other applicants, even at an elite institution, that based on intelligence alone a school would be very interested in recruiting them.</p>
<p>i know a kid with a 2400 who thinks that if you don’t celebrate your birthday, then you don’t get older and therefore can not die…yeah, the SAT is a nice way to match up the sharpness of basic math/verbal skills and it is indeed a very useful tool but by TC’s reasoning my friend would be the smartest person at Harvard when really he is bright but not brilliant from what I’ve seen</p>
<p><<<< I basically agree with the OP, at least in the sense that having a test that is too easy is not particularly helpful for distinguishing among the top students. Several posters seem to be upset that anyone would suggest that a college might want to identify the premier test takers as a means for selecting SOME of its students.</p>
<p>If a faculty member gives an exam in a class and the class average is 90 percent, then the test is too easy. Furthermore, the test likely cannot be used to distinguish between someone who knows 90 percent of the material and someone who makes a silly mistake. On the other hand, if a test is given that is more difficult, a student who understabnds all of the intracacies of the subject has a much higher probablilty of standing out from the average scoring student.</p>
<p>I interview for MIT. I have interviewed a number of students who have SAT I scores between 2350 and 2400 with 5 to 8 SAT IIs, all of which are 800. Some of these students appear to be much brighter than others. While it may be true that right now MIT doesn’t distinguish beween these students, it might be nice for such a student to be able to show that he/she is not only in the top 1% but rather in the top 1% of 1% of all students. I know there are various mathematical competitions, etc. that a student could enter, but why not just make the tests a little harder so that very few students get a perfect score? For schools such as MIT and CalTech, the current SAT II math tests are fairly useless, because essentially every applicant gets 800. The problem is, since the tests are so easy, they can only weed out students who do not make errors on these tests. My daughter (who was accepted to CalTech) took the SAT I twice. The first time she took the test she only received a 730 on the math section. We ordered score report and found out that she missed ONE PROBLEM. Fortunately, she took it again and received an 800, but making the test that easy forces silly errors to penalize a student tremendously.</p>
<p>I doubt if the OP is thinking that “Super SAT” test scores should be the ONLY criteria used for deciding who is admitted to a class. Admission staff would certainly still use additional criteria. But if the SAT test were made much more difficult, it could possibly allow for identification of a small percentage of the bightest students who were just so much brighter than other applicants, even at an elite institution, that based on intelligence alone a school would be very interested in recruiting them.>>>></p>
<p>PAFather…thank you for having the intelligence, and lack of insecurity, to actually understand the point of my original post. I was beginning to think there was an incredible lack of intelligence in this forum. My faith in humanity has been restored.</p>
<p>UUUmmm ^^maybe you need to go back and read your own first post. The responses here to your comments are certainly appropo to your statements - and if people disagree with you - that is their perogative - not a lack of intelligence - as you have so ‘nicely’ stated above.</p>
<p>Ok - now I am curious - have you not been accpeted at an Ivy?? - or do you think that someone should not have been accepted at one for some reason?? - or are you awaiting a decision of some kind?? - and this is why this concerns you?? Are you not qualified to apply to an Ivy - or are you?? Just why does this issue bother you??</p>
<p>Hi, bobbythebrain, what tests have you taken in the last few years?</p>
<p>I would much rather take a kid with a 2100, active in his community, and a dedicated researcher, or any nice EC’s for that matter, over someone who just has a 2400.</p>
<p>The people who will contribute the most to society aren’t the ones who can bubble in forms the best.</p>
<p>And what about the other, non-Ivy students? Will you require them to take an extremely hard test, one they will likely not perform well on? You’d be creating a huge education gap, because none of the students who were raised inner city/can’t afford test prep/poorer education will perform as well as your suburban study freak.</p>
<p>The purpose of college isn’t to create a handful of bright individuals, but as many as possible, and in the end nobody would profit from the experience. It’s an incredibly biased system.</p>
<p>bobbythebrain interviews for MIT, so he is apparently an MIT alumnus.</p>
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<p>UUUmmm actually ^^ - he appears to be a high school senior!! (I got curious LOL:D)</p>
<p>Hasn’t figured out how to quote yet - but it took me a long time too LOL</p>
<p>bobbythebrain, I guess the test was way too easy for you:</p>
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