1

Chelsea Koldsbaek

Professor Malcolm Campbell

Writing 1104

4 November 2017

To Test or Not to Test? The Insignificance of SAT Scores

1. You were required to take the Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) before being admitted
into your college/university
a. Yes
b. No

2. The approximate amount of hours you spent studying in preparation for the SAT:
a. 0-15
b. 16-25
c. 26-35
d. 36+
e. No idea

3. Which of these do you feel most accurately represented who you were as a student in
high school?
a. ACT score(s)
b. SAT score(s)
c. GPA
d. Class rank
e. All of the above
f. None of the above

4. Did you enjoy taking the SAT?

a. It was the highlight of my high school career
b. Sure
c. I was forced to pay to take a test I didnt care about. What do you think?
d. Whats the SAT?

5. Do you believe the SAT accurately predicted how well you performed/are performing as
a freshman in college?
a. Absolutely, spot on
b. Wait, THAT is what it was for?
c. I dont even know how you measure that
d. I got in. Im here, so didnt it?
e. Havent even thought about it since I got accepted into college honestly Commented [BA1]: Different type of introduction, but it
does look brilliant
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For decades, high school students across the United States have been required to take the

Scholastic Assessment Test, commonly known as the SAT. This test, combined with grade point

average (GPA), class ranking, and/or American College Testing (ACT) scores, are used to help

determine how a student will perform in their freshman year of college. The SAT test measures Commented [BA2]: So why would they require it to enter
college!
students skills when it comes to mathematics, reasoning, and writing. However, the test has

sparked controversy about the true accuracy of SAT scores. Along with this, the rise of a

movement against requiring SAT scores for college admission has been created. The purpose of

this paper will be to further explain why SAT scores should no longer be required for college

admissions purposes.

SAT scores alone are not accurate indicators as to attempt to prove how well a student

will perform his/her freshman year of college. For colleges and universities across the United

States, most places require students to submit a certain number of things during the application

process. These requirements oftentimes include: GPA, class rank, ACT score(s), AP test

score(s), International Baccalaureate (IB) scores, and/or SAT score(s). Colleges will look at all
of these things submitted in order to attempt to determine how well a student will do his/her
Commented [BA3]: Sometimes SAT is the most important
thing, I did not get accepted in USF because I had lower
score in math section of the SAT test than what they
required

freshman year of college. The aim of most colleges is to attempt to have a high graduation-rate

while also being funded properly. If the public sees that a higher level institution holds a

reputation for being selective and producing highly successful graduates, then the applicants will

attempt to perform better throughout high school to prove their worth. With a score ranging

anywhere from 400-1600, the higher the score, the better a student is believed to be. However,

most colleges look at SAT scores specifically as a major consideration for admission into their

school. The test was created in order to show that those who work hard, have a high level of Commented [BA4]: Thats right

intelligence, and know how to prove that will earn higher scores than anyone else. The SAT
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measures students' ability to learn. The ACT measures what students have already learned

(Barnes, 50). This is why most colleges have used the SAT as a strong determining factor for so

long. But, the test does not encompass all that a student can do. And although the test's

sponsors (the College Board and the Educational Testing Service) say that it is most reliable

when combined with other admissions information and shouldn't be used without that, many

selective colleges and scholarship competitions rely heavily on the SAT. As a result, students are

rejected by colleges and universities where they could do well (Toch & Walthall, 94).

Therefore, SAT scores are not as accurate as one would be originally led to believe.

Studies have been conducted to also showcase that SAT scores are more associated with

socioeconomic status rather than accurate student ability. In a study taken in 2014, the College

Board broke down family incomes compared to test scores based on a $20,000 range. The study

concluded that those with higher family earnings were more likely to earn a higher score on the

SAT. Students with families who earn an average of $200,000 or more tended to earn an

average, combined score of 1714 out of 2400. However, those with family earnings under

$20,000 averaged a combined score of 1326 out of 2400. This study also compared the

difference between students who come from educated families as well versus those who do not,

averaging 300 points higher than them (Goldfarb, 2014). Wealthier families can afford to have

better educational advantages for their child(ren) versus those who cannot. For those who can

afford it, SAT prep-classes can be taken, test-books can be bought, and multiple tests can be paid

for if a familys student(s) does not perform well the first time around. For example, the cost to

take the SAT today is $46. Test-prep books can range anywhere from as low as $20 to over

$100 apiece. SAT prep courses can be approximately $600-$800, sometimes higher depending

on where/and by whom. It is not uncommon for people to believe that the more expensive
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something is, the better/more effective it is. So, if a family can afford the best, they are more

likely to pay for it. And while changes to the test itself have been made in an attempt to account
for this, it has not proved to help change the outcome. There is a risk that by incorporating
more advanced math, for example, it will make the test more sensitive to differences in
schooling. Too often, she (Julian Barnes) adds, kids who go to school in poor areas do not have
Commented [BA5]: Also, they wont be under pressure
while doing the test because they can do it over and over,
but who has lower income they cannot do it many times, so
whenever they have the chance to take they will be under
pressure because they have to get high score
Excellent study that you chose.

access to competent instruction. (Barnes, 50) With all of this extra help combined, it is no

wonder that those less fortunate receive lower scores. Say a student has a bad day the day before

he/she has to take the SAT, his/her score will not turn out as well as he/she would have hoped.

But, say he/she cannot afford to take the test again. This student may be one of the top-ranked

students in his class, with a 4.0 GPA, and excellent AP scores; but that one SAT score wont

indicate that at all. The SAT may have originally been created to showcase this students

capabilities, but it is too difficult to determine that based on one bad days worth of testing.

Today, organizations are banding together to showcase how strongly they feel about no

longer requiring SAT scores for college admissions purposes. The National Center for Fair and

Open Testing, also commonly referred to as FairTest, is advocating for less reliance on

standardized tests, such as the SAT. FairTest was created to show the united-front of those

colleges and universities that do believe that tests such as the SAT and ACT are not accurate

indicators to showcase student capabilities. This organization holds a list of over 870 higher

level institutions that either do not require test scores for admissions decisions or make them

optional to submit. This push against heavy reliance on test scores allows for students to apply

and be given the chance to do well when they would have otherwise not even been admitted.

Hampshire College has been used as a major focal-point for the study used to advocate for a test-

blind policy. When asked, Bob Schaeffer, the public education director of FairTest reported that,
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The incoming class is again more racially diverse and includes more students who represent

the first generation in their family to attend college than in any year before this policy went into

effect, Hampshires September 2016 report stated. Retention of first-year students is again

higher than it was before the policy change, 81 percent as opposed to 78 percent two years ago.

(Stewart, 2014). FairTest research also indicates that in order to increase diversity, it would be

best to adopt a test-optional policy. This better encompasses the random selection aspect of Commented [BA6]: Great point, as international student I
suffered taking SAT because I studied high school back in my
country
admissions decisions.

One of the fears that can be associated with SAT scores and college admissions is that a Commented [BA7R6]:

student could be rejected when he/she could have done well without being given the chance. In

1993, a study was performed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, to associate

SAT math scores between men and women of the same majors. This study was conducted to

view the relationship between college grades their freshman year and their SAT math scores.

The study found that out of 47,000 of their students, the women had either equaled or exceeded

the mens grade point averages but had received lower SAT math scores. The women in this

sample study had a difference in math score ranging between 21-55 points lower on the SAT

math section. That is approximately 4-9% lower than their male counterparts. However, their

GPAs exceeded theirs. Bette Johnson, the current Associate Director of Admissions at the time

and studys author, admitted, We learned that we could admit a lot more women from the

applicant pool (94). If an institution as elite as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology can

admit that they had been overlooking some of their applicants, this can be an example that other

higher level institutions could follow as well. By not allowing students admission simply due to

their SAT scores, or even just one section of it, they might be overlooking some of the best

students they could have possibly admitted.

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While the essay portion of the SAT was an excellent example of the attempts to

encompass students full capabilities, it does not make the test a better indicator overall. In an

interview with James Montoya, the former Vice President of the College Board and Dean at

Stanford University, he discussed how adding the essay portion was to show students what is

important for college success. The focus was/is on critical thinking skills in reading, writing, and

mathematics. The essay portion would now be sent to teachers of English and Composition who

underwent a rigorous amount of training to be able to qualify to evaluate and grade the essay

portion alone. He also states that grades and test scores combined better encompass who a

person is as a student. The creators believed that writing is a key element to student success,

especially in college (C-SPAN, 2005). However, this portion adds to the already stressful Commented [BA8]: In college? Why would you test me
on writing before college and take into consideration my
score?
amount of work that students put in to studying for the test. The American Psychological

Association released its annual Stress in America survey in 2014 stating that 31% of teens felt

overwhelmed and nearly the same amount felt sad or depressed due to the feelings of stress alone

(Page, 2014). The test brings about a greater amount of stress on top of the pressures of being

juniors/seniors in high school. By putting too much emphasis on the importance of the SAT, it

discourages students from even trying, when they could be more than capable of not only

meeting but exceeding expectations.

On a personal note, as a student myself, I am a firm believer that students are more than

just a test score. There are many factors that contribute to how well/poor a student may do in

college. By focusing on one aspect alone, I do not feel as if it truly encompasses who a student

was, is, or could be. I can honestly tell you that I did not do well my first semester as a freshman

in college. My SAT scores were not horrible, but I can tell you I did not enjoy taking that test.
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If I had only been considered for my SAT score, my other high school achievements would not

have been mattered. Nearly every college student understands how hard we have to work just

look good on a college application. When it comes to taking tests, we learn the system. We

know how to study exact answers and regurgitate what we know our teachers want to hear. But,

college gives us the chance to expand upon that. I was fortunate enough to attend a program in

high school that taught me how to think critically before I got to college. I was able to be more

prepared to think not only for myself but how to communicate and demonstrate my knowledge in

an effective way. As a junior today, I can tell you that I am still learning. But I can promise you

that if I was defined by just my SAT score, I would not have been able to learn from my first

college experience by attending Chapman University, in California, alone. My GPA after my

freshman year there was not the best. But, college is a learning process. Speaking as college

student myself, I started to figure out what works best for me. We all do. We learn how to

study, how to write, how to learn, how to live, etc. If I was never given the chance, I would not

be thriving as I am here today. I am just one example, but there could be plenty more out there

just like me; plenty of first/second-generation Americans, with two jobs, going to school

fulltime, and attempting to have a social life, people like me. And with that, I know that I am

more than just a number I receive on one test. We all are. Commented [BA9]: Amazing conclusion, looks like
emotional paragraph but I think it delivered the point
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Works Cited

Goldfarb, Zachary. These four charts show how the SAT favors rich, educated families. The

Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2014.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/03/05/these-four-charts-show-

how-the-sat-favors-the-rich-educated-families/?utm_term=.0cf14ed426ef. Accessed 6

Nov. 2017.

Montoya, James. New Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). Washington Journal. C-SPAN.

Washington, D.C., 13 Mar. 2005. https://www.c-span.org/video/?185819-4/new-

scholastic-assessment-test-sat. Accessed 10 Oct. 2017.

Page, Kelsey. I am more than a number: The case against SAT scores in college admissions.

Stanford Daily. 2 Dec. 2014, http://www.stanforddaily.com/2014/12/02/i-am-more-than-

a-number-the-case-against-sat-scores-in-college-admissions/. Accessed 16 Oct. 2017.

Stewart, Pearl. Admissions Movement Leaving ACT/SAT Behind Higher Education.

FairTest: The National Center for Fair and Open Testing, 23 Nov. 2016,

http://www.fairtest.org/admissions-movement-leaving-actsat-behind-higher-e. Accessed

10 October 2017.

Toch, Thomas and Walthall, Marna. The Test of Merit Fails that Standard. U. S. News &

World Report, vol. 123, no. 8, 1997,

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=41fbee1b-f510-48ad-8cb8-

004df84b8776%40sessionmgr102&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l

0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=9708273464&db=pwh. Accessed 10 October 2017.

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Looks like a great draft, about the introduction, you might wanted it to look different,

which is, but I dont think this was one of the introduction types we had. Overall, it looks

really great, you explained every point like it supposed to be.

Bassam Alharbi