News Day Tuesday: College Panel Calls for Less Focus on SATs
Ahhhh…SATs. Dontcha just love ‘em? What’s not to like about getting up early on a Saturday morning to sit at a school desk for almost 4 hours, filling in hundreds of little bubbles with a number 2 pencil, for a test that might determine which college you get into? And omigosh! What if you don’t do well and don’t get into a good college and don’t get a good job?? You’ll end up poor! And homeless! On the streets! Fishing through trash for half-eaten sandwiches! THIS TEST IS GOING TO DETERMINE THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!!!
Well…now is it? A recently released report on the relevance of college admissions tests (like the SAT Reasoning Test and the ACT) doesn’t seem to think so. In fact, after a year-long study, the committee recommended that colleges move away from using these kinds of tests as part of the application process, and instead focus on more achievement-based exams like the SAT Subject Tests, the APs (Advanced Placement), and the IBs (International Baccalaureate). The argument is that students should focus more “on high school courses that, based on evidence, will prepare them well for college and also prepare them well for the real world beyond college, instead of their spending enormous amounts of time trying to game the SAT.” And because getting into college is so competitive right now, many students are paying for additional preparation and tutoring for the SAT (or ACT), and this puts lower-income students at a disadvantage. But don’t take my word for it. Read the article here.
Now, in defense of the SAT Reasoning Test, it was originally intended to give disadvantaged students a fairer shot at getting into college. Ironic, huh? The man who came up with the original SAT felt that not all students had the privilege of attending schools that prepared them well in the basic subjects, but that students with high aptitude had the potential to do well in college, and so should be given a chance. But many people now argue that the SAT does not, in fact, measure aptitude or reasoning ability, and so should be done away with.
So what do the rest of you think? The SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT is required by most U.S. colleges for admission. Do you think these tests should be eliminated as part of the application process? Do you think these tests measure reasoning ability?
What about achievement tests? Do you think tests like the SAT Subject Tests, the APs, and the IBs are fairer?
What about all you gals of the international persuasion? Do you have to take reasoning or aptitude tests to get into college? Do you have to take any kind of tests? What do you think about the college application process in your country? Do you think it’s fair?
If you had the power to change the college admissions process, what would you do differently?
P.S. – For those who are taking the SATs this Saturday (or Sunday), good luck to all of you! Get enough rest, be confident, watch your timing, read the questions carefully, and avoid careless mistakes. 
) The test, in itself, isn’t such a ridiculous concept, most of the stuff on there is pretty basic so in a way, if you don’t know that, it means your not really prepared for the rigor in college. The problem is, like the article says, the colleges put waaayyy to much emphasis on the importance of the test. Literally with 100-200 points difference it can determine whether you go to Columbia U or SDSU. I’ve talked to College Admissions Counselors, most say don’t even try to apply to certain schools if your test score is below 2000 (btw I’m talking on the new scale of 2400) Same goes for the ACT, lower than a 29 (scale of 36) might as well forget it. (I’m planning to take it, but people say it is a bit easier than the SAT) Also, the cost. The test cost isn’t bad, it’s like 40 dollars for the SAT and 25 per SAT Subject Test, it’s the prep that takes a a hit to your wallet. Left and right you see adds for tutors and programs to help you with the SAT’s and that alone is hundreds of dollars. As if students needed more things to spend on, since College alone costs more per year than what most modest family homes make. 
Audrey
September 30, 2008I’m a university student in Singapore, and here entry into college is based on mostly on ‘A’ level grades. For those of you in the US system, might not be familiar with ‘A’ levels.. It’s the Cambridge examination system and I think in some ways it is similar to subject SAT tests but it has mostly open-ended questions which means we have to write short answers and also answer some essay questions. Students normally take 3 or 4 subject papers (such as Biology, Physics, Economics, History, Math, etc.), plus a second language paper and a compulsory General Paper which tests English comprehension skills, analytical skills, and knowledge of world affairs and general knowledge.
Apart from that exam, we also have a score for extra-curricular activities like sports, charity work, school clubs and such. Most of the college courses also require a personal interview and some courses ask for character references from teachers, but overall there is a very large emphasis on the A Level grades. Over here, the A Level exam syllabus is taught in schools throughout 2 years of junior college and even before that, in secondary school, the education more or less prepares you for what you will learn at junior college. You can get into the top secondary schools and junior colleges based solely on your grades and from there receive the best training for the A Levels. So you don’t NEED to be wealthy to do well. However, there is a huge trend towards hiring personal tutors outside of school, so I think this is where the unfair advantage may come in, but I feel that this is inevitable in any kind of examination system.
As for the SAT test, I took both the SAT I test and a few of the subject tests a few years ago to apply to some US colleges. I thought that the fact that the tests are almost all multiple-choice questions makes them potentially an inaccurate reflection of a student’s aptitude. It is easier to make lucky guesses without much skill and also easier to cheat! I’m not familiar with the IB exam but I think it doesn’t suffer from the same weaknesses so I’d say that generally, exams which have more essay components are better able to test students’ reasoning capabilities.
Lastly, on the topic of college admissions in general, I think less emphasis should be placed on grades from any kind of exam. Of course this should still be the primary method of sorting students into broad brackets, but I think that interviews and character references should play a big role as well so that students who have maybe done not so well can still have a chance to show that they have potential and have a positive attitude. In the end, what a college looks at should depend on what kind of students it wants to admit. If it’s looking for students who are good at memorising stuff and spending long hours in the library, its admissions process will probably be different from a college that is looking for more all-rounded students or students with a positive learning attitude.
So I wouldn’t really change anything about the admissions process because each college knows what kind of student it wants and will know how much emphasis to place on things like the SATs. Just because SATs count doesn’t mean they’re the be all and end all of everything!
If you read all the way till the end, sorry for subjecting you to such a lengthy exposition!