As a mom, the one thing that drives me crazy....

rmldad
Wed, 23 Oct 2013 13:09:53 +0000

HPuck35 wrote:



The SAT test scales were changed in 1996. A perfect 1600 on the new scale would have been only about a 1510 on the old scale. (Obviously before the writing section was added making a perfect score to be 2400 now).



This is clearly flawed reasoning, unless the assertion is that no one today could have scored a 1600 on the old scale. A “‘perfect’ 1600 on the new scale” would mean a perfect 1600 on the old scale as well.

Perhaps HPuck meant either: a 1510 score on the old scale would be a 1600 on the new scale; or a 1600 on the new scale could be anywhere in the range of 1510-1600. In either case, a number of the arguments presented are based on sloppy reasoning.

More high school graduates apply to college now, even if the total number of graduates is the same. More graduates have focused on applying to college earlier in their career, resulting in more competitve applications from equally gifted kids. More colleges, especially highly selective universities, actively recruit applicants from around the world now - a practice that was unheard of twenty years ago. More international applicants now have the means to apply to and attend American universities, resulting in a surge of applications from abroad.