To SAT, or Not to SAT: That is the Question

Many higher education institutions have been debating whether or not they should keep the SAT as an admission requirement or if they should become "test-optional." Studies have shown that, despite the SAT being a slight determinant of future academic success, students who have withheld their SAT scores and gone to school have had nearly identical GPA's as students who showed their SAT scores, despite the immense score gap between the students.

Yes, the SAT does provide a semi-accurate depiction of a student's academic ability, but it surely should not be the sole assessor of brain capacity. Every student is different, yet the SAT is the same for everyone. Many high school students are future scientists or historians, yet the SAT only judges a student on math, critical reading, and writing. So how can colleges and universities determine a high school student's intelligence on one test taken in four hours?

On the other hand, the SAT is becoming more diverse and many institutions are requiring that students send subject tests in addition to the reasoning test to see how these students thrive in subjects taught in school. So why not make these standardized tests mandatory? They do provide more insight on what a student is capable of and step away from high school grades which may be affected through grade inflation.

Feel free to share you thoughts!

Articles referenced:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/opinion/lweb04test.html?_r=1

Evan Kendall

INeedAPencil Associate

Sharon High School 2010 (Sharon, MA)