<p>ANY mental test, whether the SAT I or an IQ test, is "a sample of learned behavior." There are no exceptions to that rule. Once you give someone a test, then the interesting question is whether that sample of that person's learned behavior is a meaningful predictor of the person's behavior in other circumstances.</p>
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I second the first couple of posts...this place naturally has the best and the brightest. It wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if we had at least one future President of the US on here, couple of Nobel laurates, heads of lesser states, and maybe even a pope.
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<p>I doubt the Pope part. :P.. It requires many years of training just to be even in the running for future papabili, and well, you know, I doubt the future Popes of the world wander here on CC. :P</p>
<p>SAT is not an IQ test..
It doesnt measure your intelligence...
It measures your English skills...</p>
<p>Amen Variance. Amen</p>
<p>the SAT math measures intelligence.... verbal doesnt.</p>
<p>a dumb person can get a 800 verbal if he/she's been reading a lot. </p>
<p>the math is <em>reasoning</em> and the formulas will work, but shortcuts come in handy.</p>
<p>I don't think dumb persons read a lot--do you know of any examples?</p>
<p>The verbal SAT is harder than the Math---You actually have to know the vocabulary words. (especially for lazy people who don't like to read unless they have to--uh not like me of course)</p>
<p>The math is easy algebra. </p>
<p>But--most people who get 1600 on the SAT did study for them--and if they say they didn't--they're liars. </p>
<p>The valedictorian in my hs studied for 4 months for the SAT and went from a 1420 (she already studied a little) to a 1570.</p>
<p>If you guys put in the effort, anyone can score in the upper 1500s.</p>
<p>Frankly, studying for SATs should be ILLEGAL because it doesn't measure intellect as much as it should be.</p>
<p>i had 800 for verbal n 770 for maths...does not mean i am a genuis nor did i study my butt's off.... maths is honestly quite easy cos of the O and A level syllabus we do in singapore n britain n all...
as for verbal, bit of vocab b prac can do wonders...
.there are ppl in my sch who can score 700+ on verbal on first sittin w/o any prac at all...cos on the first week of my sch, we had an impromptu mock sat and no one knew abt it...these ppl are generally well read n gd at eng and hence ace the test... not necessarily u have to study lots to ace it...and then there are ppl who study a lot for it/join classes but still dun do as well, perhaops their 'strtegies' are wrong....yeah, itz kinda like studyin smart not hard for sats...</p>
<p>My main problem (especially with math) is that either it is so simple I don't read into the question enough, have forgotten it (middle school was soo long ago, so I had to relearn parts of geometry), but the main problem is paying attention after being in one place for such an extended period of times. I will vouch for studying as it can help (especially if you didn't pay attention/forgot some old math stuff), as it helped me raise my score roughly 160 pts (mostly in the CR) because there is a pattern in the questioning that you can pick up on.</p>
<p>yup....itz somewhat abt patterns n strtegies rather than muggin ur way for sats.....
ya n that 'simple' maths can be deceptive at times when i overlook somethign and make stupid mistakes.... :p</p>
<p>Skylar your definately right. The math questions are not hard just a little thinking goes a long way with them. But when you figure out the value for 'x' lets say they ask u for the answer of '2x' thats what kills you. not the math, because the math is easy rather its that peopole jsut don't answer the right question.</p>
<p>I agree, everyone who gets a 1600 or 2400 studied A LOT and those who say they didn't are liars. However, what's so bad about studying? Who cares if the tests measure effort as well as intelligence? In my opinion, effort is just as important to being successful in college as intelligence, if not more important.</p>
<p>SAT measures knowledge not intelligence.. lol..</p>
<p>Since when is learning 2k uncommon words intelligence??
and since when is being able to memorize solutions to basic math problems intelligence..</p>
<p>It measures how fast you can work though..</p>
<p>lol, hellogoodbye, the first time i took it i broke 1500 without studying - lots of kids do</p>
<p>after the 1500 point, the studying may help in terms of like strategies and stuff, but im there are people who get 1600's and don't study.</p>
<p>I think SAT's do reflect analytic ability to an extent.</p>
<p>SAT math does not reflect KNOWLEDGE, it's at like 8th grade level. Maybe writing and CR does a little, but it's mostly just reasoning and analysis, which is what intelligence is basically. I agree that u can break 1500 w/ studying, but u have to work ur ass off to get that extra few points, because even a genius needs to learn all the trends to get everything right. U really believe that lots of kids get 1600s w/o studying? bc if u do, u must either go to one of those anal prep schools or u are incredibly naive and believe when people tell u they dont study. By the way, I got a 1600 on my first try, but I'll at least admit that I did study. I hate those annoying bastards who say they never study, but then carry a SAT prep book everywhere they go. I bet ur one of them. :)</p>
<p>lol no. i don't go to a prep school, or anything close. But I know people who are really brilliant - I believe them when they say they've aced the SATs without studying.</p>
<p>of course, there are few and far between</p>
<p>Besides, I think people who are truly brilliant just bomb the SAT. and sorry, bastard line was directed to a certain guy I know and u were just a convient target in my line of fire. Again, I apologize</p>
<p>I agree that the workplace doesn't give a darn about what college you went to. The whole point of college is to learn. For those of you who think you are going to get some crazy education at MIT(where i want to go :)), and rock the world right away, you are wrong. It doesn't matter where you go, it matters who you are. If you inspired, you can go to community college and rise to stardom. Or you can graduate from MIT like one of my teachers, and live a quiet life in a cottage. It isn't the college, but what you make of it. Why do you want to go to Ivies? Parents, sibling? That isn't a reason to go, it is a reason not to go. If you are just getting pressured into it, you probably won't enjoy it, and thus not perform as well, where as if you went to the college you honestly want to go to, you would enjoy life more, and do great things.</p>
<p>Seriously, after smashing myself this year with SAT and AP's as a sophomore, I realized that there is more to life than going to MIT. I will try to do my best at school, but I won't kill myself. I would rather work on my intel project. Something I enjoy. </p>
<p>Ex: 1st semester, both quarters I make an A, and then a C on exam. I get B for semester. Realizing that getting an A for year is very hard, I just settle for B. You know how much my life opened up? I work on things I love, not kill myself w/ some foreign language I hate.</p>
<p>I don't understand the constant attack on the SAT. It's not that hard...just answer the questions correctly! I don't see how these couldn't be a correlation between answering questions correctly and answering them incorrectly. Honestly, people, it is just a test, but I think we can all agree that those in the 1500-1600 are generally more intelligent than those in the 1000-1100 range. You all know exactly what I am talking about. I'm not going to sit here and say that someone with a 1500 is automatically X amount smarter than someone with a 1300, but, as a whole, I'd say that the 1500ish people are smarter than the 1300ish people. </p>
<p>About the studying thing - I think it really depends. By "didn't study," I think most people mean that they just didn't do hardcore prep. A little review here and there (3 or 4 practice tests over a few months) isn't really studying. There's nothing wrong with looking at the map before you start the trip. I would honestly tell people that I didn't study and that I don't read often, because it's true. Did I review a couple of sample tests? Sure. Do I ever read? From time to time, sure, but not often. I certainly didn't kill myself studying for my SAT score, and I turned out alright.</p>
<p>a friend of mine got 2390 w/o studying, and I believe it -- he is a genius. To say it is impossible to get scores like that w/o studying is simply not true. It is merely a justification those who feel themselves to be geniuses who worked their butts off for a 2250.</p>
<p>Whether of not he is smarter than 99.9% of the population, who knows? But he is the smartest kid I know...it is possible.</p>
<p>PS He missed one math question...that was it.</p>