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<p>Shravas, let’s not forget - the SAT IIs are full of flaws, we all know this. But they are currently our standardized testing measure. I think unfortunately, because an 800 on Math II is so easy to achieve in general, it would be silly not to consider differences in scores of 40-50 points if we’re to consider score differences at all. After all, the logic that you’re “epsilon away, so it’s basically the same” fails because a lot of epsilons in our case really take you far away from the initial target. </p>
<p>If I had to have it my way, as I’ve posted all over the place, I’d get rid of these tests in favor of better tests. And realistically, college admissions doesn’t seem just about penalizing, it’s about selecting candidates, and frankly doing well on a generally harder test is a good thing, while doing well on a very easy test should not be given much weight. </p>
<p>In general I agree with you that the situation here is absurd, but given the limitations of what is available, I agree that the way should be as the OP outlined.</p>