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<p>Yes. Standardized tests, and the SAT in particular, have their critics. Their significance sometimes is downplayed by colleges. However, they remain the only objective, uniform measurement of college applicants’ ability and achievement. So, I think a selective college would be remiss not to use them at all, unless it has come up with a demonstrably better set of tools to help interpret grades.</p>
<p>Test scores also are an important factor in college ranking systems. If you create a list of colleges ranked solely by median M+V SAT scores, you probably won’t be surprised by the schools at the top of the list or the order in which they appear. Only a few “self-selecting” schools (such as St. John’s, Reed, and perhaps the University of Chicago) have very high average scores that do not correlate closely with equally high selectivity numbers. </p>
<p>On the other hand, I doubt there are any US colleges at all that base admissions decisions solely on these scores. National or provincial entrance examination scores do play a much bigger role in some other countries, such as Japan, China, and Germany. I think many people in those countries would find it very strange that a school might consider extracurricular activities, ethnicity, or “legacy” status in the decision.</p>