Is the SAT a Good Admissions Exam?

The SAT were historically used in the United Stateswere shown to positively corrolate with college GPAs.
by colleges to determine whether to admit or reject anHowever, the SAT was recently shown to be biased
applicant. The SAT is a standardized exams withto middle and upper class Caucasian students. For
2400 possible points on three sections: Critical Reading,example, students from other cultures may have
Mathematics, and Writing. There is also an essaydifferent interpretations on the Reading
which is graded on a 12 point scale. Recently, someComprehension section which may cause them to
liberal arts colleges stopped requiring SAT scores.answer questions incorrectly. Many students also
There was even a movement in the University ofperform poorly on the SAT due to fatigue rather than
California system to make the SAT optional. There isthe lack of knowledge. Students with ADD, ADHD
still debate on whether SAT is a good admissionshave a major disadvantage on the lengthy time
examination. I will go over the pros and cons of usingconstrained exam. Also, students that use stimulant
the SAT Reasoning Test.drugs such as caffeine or ephedrine may have an
Some high schools in the United States have gradeadvantage.
inflation and grade deflation. A certain understanding ofAlso, the SAT only covers Critical Reading,
the material in one school may be an "A" while theMathematics upto Algebra II, and Writing. Although
same understanding of the material in another schoolthese skills are important for performing well in a
may be a "C". The SAT is an efficient exam forcollege or university, other skills may just be as
comparing students from other schools. The SAT alsoimportant. There are SAT II subject tests which test
tests skills necessary to succeed in college such asother subjects but they are not required by many
logic, reading comprehension, and writing. SAT scorescolleges.