Standardized tests, including the SAT, are widely known around the country.  In this essay, the effectiveness and necessity of the SAT, especially in regard to college application will be explored and discussed.  As mentioned in the Washington Post article by Valerie Strauss, the SAT was originally referred to as the Scholastic Aptitude Test.  With that specific name, the intended purpose of the test was to measure individuals' aptitude or "ability to perform well in college" (Strauss).  Recently, there has been widespread debate about how accurate of a predictor tool the SAT actually is.  There are long-term supporters of the test and then there are individuals who see the need for a dramatic change in the structure of the test and most of those same individuals, question the overuse of SAT scores to measure a person's intellectual ability.  The concern with the reliance and quick judgments about a prospective student based on their SAT scores carries a lot of weight for current young adults looking to continue their education, but also numerous generations that follow.  College Board, colleges and universities across the nation, students, parents, and even high schools need to be involved in helping make the desire for higher education more of reasonable goal instead of the current state, where some individuals view collegiate education unattainable because of the entry process.  In order to make a conclusion about the accuracy of the SAT as a predictor tool, there will be discussion in regard to the following topics: high school GPA, changes made for the new test structure, discrimination of the test in regards to social class, race, first generation college goers, and the anxiety and expectation for high scores.  After analyzing the evidence presented, there will be an ability to draw a conclusion and determine whether the SAT is a useful or useless tool.  These conclusions will help propel support for this topic since it affects students from all parts of the nation and will continue to be impactful on the future generations of the working class for the country.  Although the majority of colleges use SAT scores as a determining factor for admission, recent studies have shown they are an inaccurate false predictor of academic success, thereby decreasing the diversity of the student body. 

To begin, when looking specifically at the college admission process, SAT scores tend to carry tremendous weight.  However, there is strong evidence that would suggest that colleges not only use SAT scores, to help measure knowledge capacity, but high school GPA.  According to the Washington Post article, there have been several studies published that support the argument that high school GPA better represent the academic capability of a student, rather than the single SAT score (Strauss).  Former Dean of Admission for Bates College, William Hiss expressed that "four-year long-term evidence of self-discipline, intellectual curiosity and hard work" carries more importance when analyzing the characteristics of an individual (Sheffer).  Hiss also shared his opinion about the human mind; he argued that any attempt to use one reliable tool to analyze the depth of knowledge for such a large population, is next to impossible.  Basically, the important traits of an individual are not depicted from one measly SAT score. High school GPA allows college admission counselors to learn more about the entire four years of education through high school of an individual.  There was criticism of colleges for relying on SAT scores because it was a convenience for themselves, rather than a very helpful and accurate tool to help predict future success at the collegiate level.  There is so much more meaningful information found beyond a SAT score, which is better depicted through a high school GPA and the courses a student encountered throughout their four years of high school. 

Due to an increase in critics of the old SAT, College Board released a new structure of the test this spring.  Without admitting specifically to the weaknesses in the old test, several aspects of the tests were severely altered.  Starting this spring, the point system has been reverted back the 1600 point scale instead of 2400 (SATs Overhauled).  Also, the essay portion is now optional and whether it is required to simply left up to the administration at each high school across the country.  One of the most impactful changes made is the removal of a penalty for guessing on a question and the answer being incorrect (SATs Overhauled).  For students who participated in the SAT prior to 2016, they were penalized for incorrect answers.  The subtraction of points led students to spend more time in deciding whether to answer or not, rather than continuing on with the following questions.  College Board also adjusted the internal organization of the test, by removing abstract math concepts and focusing more on algebra, which is commonly used throughout the workplaces of several different professions.  Along with that change, difficult vocabulary was eliminated and was replaced with more commonly used language that does not immediately trick and confuse the student (SATs Overhauled).  Officials advocated that the changes made to the test will be a more accurate representative of skills and knowledge needed for individuals in future careers.  There is also a hope that the information covered on the new SAT better aligns itself with the common curriculum that is taught throughout a large majority of colleges.  If this is achieved, there will be a large majority of overlapping, relevant information rather than information printed on flashcards that students do not encounter until studying for the SAT.  College Board President David Coleman stated, "the test should offer worthy challenges, not artificial obstacles" (SATs Overhauled).  Coleman precisely summed up the goal of College Board with the new redesigned SAT; the test makers have a desire for the test to be relevant to the 'real world' in order to prepare young adults for their careers.  During David Coleman's conference presentation about the new structure of updated SAT, he also introduced the new implementation of free Khan Academy test prep services and the four fee waivers on college applications for every income-eligible student (Coleman).  By adding the fee waivers, there is an incentive for more students to participate in the test, because recently fewer students than typically have taken the SAT.  The hope is that these new accommodations and services will help bridge the gap that was present between families on varying social classes. 

As mentioned earlier, the majority of colleges and universities across the country do rely heavily on SAT scores in order to help sort through the applicants.  However, admissions counselors do not always account for lurking variables intertwined with an individual's score that are not are clear as one number.  There is a clear disjoint between different groups of society and their access and advantages they may or may not have.  The SAT can be viewed as a very daunting and intimidating task, especially for students who are not fortunate to have any access for test prep services.  In the NY Times article, Soares, a co-editor of book examining weakness predictive ability of the SAT, declared how high test scores had a strong correlation with family income (Balf).  There is a noticeable difference in the scores of students stemming from wealthy families and students who come from poorer backgrounds.  This is mainly a result from the opportunity to invest in commonly, very expensive prep classes for the SAT.  Also the variation between private and public high school education could contribute to the wide range of scores.  The recent addition of free Khan Academy test prep should help decrease this apparent separation of scores for students coming from opposite ends of the wealth spectrum.   However, the addition of this new service may still not be enough.  Students stemming from families who with prior generations who did not attend college, still face challenges.  Many of these students believe that their only way into college is to have an exceptionally high score on the SAT.  However, some colleges and universities across the nation have recently changed their application to have a 'test-optional' submission for the applications.  A prime example is Wake Forest, whose provost, Jim Tiefenthaler, has voiced his opinion about this change.  He spoke on behalf of Wake Forest University when he described the qualities of individuals that are not conveyed through a test score and stated, "affirm the full range of talents, skills, and values  ...  integrity, work ethic, open-mindedness, and passion for learning" (Tiefenthaler).  A student's score on the SAT does not convey the qualities that he is trying to discover in applicants.  Sometimes, these characteristics cannot be found with just a high school GPA either; there needs to be a wholesome approach to college admission decisions by looking at the GPA, the course load, letters of recommendation, involvement outside the classroom, etc.  He continued by introducing the idea that the overuse of SAT scores to narrow down applicants, has "drawn the center of gravity in college admissions away from the things we value" (Tiefenthaler).  There should not be a lack of access for any student regarding to prep classes, tutors, etc.  Until this gap is completely closed, there is a responsibility on the admission counselors to consider the hiding causes of average scores that should not lead to a quick rejection or dismissal.  College Board made the first step in the right direction by including Khan Academy resources and services to all students, but this concern should continue to be apart of the conversation when analyzing the reliability of the SAT score and related fields. 

Anxiety is very common among high school students of all ages. There is such a pressure put on students in today's society to maintain grades, manage extracurricular activities, and maintain social relationships, the SAT tends to add a large amount of unnecessary stress and anxiety for the majority of students.  The levels of anxiety increases for students who are typically weak test takers because those individuals psych themselves out before the test and thereby jeopardize their scores.  Bob Schaeffer, public education director of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, stated that there is "an advantage for students with strong test-taking skills, not those necessarily those with other talents that may be more valuable in life" (Strauss).  This statement lends itself to further support the need to change and alter the SAT structure.  Even more so, students who are attempting to be first generation college goers know how much weight a good score carries in their personal scenario and therefore become very anxious when the SAT testing date arrives.  Unfortunately for many students, including first generation college goers, an impressive score is their golden ticket to continue their education to the next level.  There is an unfortunate lack of resources available for this type of student, typically.  It should be a goal of colleges and universities to make the dream of attending college more attainable by not solely focusing on a SAT score.  Furthermore, there is also a societal pressure for high schools among high school students.  In this time and day, students vocally share their score via social media and even in person to classmates and peers.  This action creates an unwritten competition for all students to see who can score the highest.  That kind of competition is not needed during an already stressful and overwhelming period of students' lives.  Usually, an average or moderate score can greatly discourage a student from even applying to a specific university, if they think their score will cause immediate rejection.  Even though there is evidence to support the claim that students with better grades and moderation test scores actually perform better in college than students with the opposite situation (Sheffer).  As a result, some of the better renowned universities have a lacking diversity of their student body.  There are several colleges that indirectly accept a very similar group of applicants for their new freshmen class.  This may not be the intention of all schools, but without less focus on SATs and more focus on other aspects of the application, there will be very little diversity among the student body.  There needs to be more of a priority when looking at a prospective student to look deeply to be more aware of all the dimensions of a person, rather than one number. 

Despite all the evidence presented that supports the argument that the SAT is an inaccurate tool for predicting college academic success, there are still supporters of the SAT.  These supporters stand behind the belief that the test has been around for a long time and is still relevant and useful in today's society.  They believe that SAT has the ability to predict performance throughout a college career (Gehring).  A study concerning the Effectiveness of the SAT in Predicting Success Early and Late in College was conducted and the results showed that "individuals with higher SAT scores were more likely to remain in college and complete their degrees than those with lower scores" (Gehring).  However, it is important to keep in mind that this study was published in 2001, before either of the last two updates of the SAT had occurred.  The study did admit to the fact that the correlation between test scores and college academic performance did decrease over time (Gehring).  Regardless of the fact that this article was published a while ago, there are still people today that strongly support the structure of the SAT and the method behind how it measures intellectual ability.  When looking at the history of the creation of the test, it was originally meant to "help those who came from more humble backgrounds to be noticed by the prestigious schools" (Sheffer).  It's unfortunate that the original goal of the SAT is actually the opposite situation that students encounter today.  

In order to better the future for generations of students applying for college, there are steps that can be made to aide them.  Wake Forest University is one of several schools to start implementing proactive steps.  Wake Forest went to a 'test-optional' submission policy as very quickly saw a difference in the diversity of their applicants.  As a result, they now find pride in the fact that their student body includes students from all different backgrounds in varying categories.  Tiefenthaler expressed his appreciation for the mix of applicants for the start of building an "engaged community one person at a time" (Tiefenthaler).  It is time for more universities around the country to follow their positive lead and spread that policy.  If more colleges and universities transition to 'test-optional' policies, a wider array of students will continue their education and be able to achieve their goals and dreams.  An author, Bolstein stated that the "time has come for colleges and universities to join together  ...  to reinvent the college-entrance-examination system" (Bolstein).  College Board has taken a step in what one hopes to be the right direction, with the new structure of the SAT released in spring 2016.  Therefore, it is then up to college admission counselors to not take the easy, convenient way out and solely use an SAT score to judge an individual's knowledge.  There is strong supporting evidence that there are several other tools to more accurately measure one's knowledge and colleges should be upheld to a higher standard to use a wide array of resources to make sure they are accepting the truly most valuable students into their program.  

There is strong evidence in many divisions that showcase the much-needed change when dealing with less concentration on students' SAT scores.  Because of more and more studies being published arguing for a change to be implemented, there is a greater support from American people demanding a change.  With the recent implementation of the new SAT, more pressure effectively falls on college admission counselors across the country.  They now hold more power to shift from focusing on SAT scores and putting more concentration on the qualities prospective students offer as a whole.  This issue needs to continue to be supported and argued for, and if that occurs, the positive change that will result will benefit the nation as a whole for generations to follow. 

