<p>The SAT does not require expensive tutoring sessions in order to improve one’s scores. I’d actually assert that anyone who believes that he or she has the wherewithal to attend a school like Princeton already has the faculties to take the SAT. It is then simply a matter of getting accustomed to the test. A smart kid can buy the Official SAT Study Guide (the collegeboard book) from amazon.com for $12, read a little about the format/essay, take the 8 practice tests, and do perfectly fine. I know a 2400, 2390, 2370, and 2340 (one of those scores is mine, three are those of schoolmates) that basically went through the CB SAT guide and took the test and got those scores the first time. I hardly think that this preparation is discriminatory towards lower-income people or otherwise unfair. $12 is chump change.</p>
<p>On a side note, I decided to try SAT II classes for two subject tests. I felt ripped off. If you’re smart, it’s actually an impediment to have someone try to talk you through the SATs. The best way is to study material/format yourself and just plow through. While SAT prep classes can certainly help someone score a 2050 needed for BC or a school on that level, 2300s are not (rarely) made in SAT tutoring classes. If they were (and I’m sure HYP have data, as this is rather important to them), HYP wouldn’t use the SAT anymore.</p>
<p>For those that argue that the extent of one’s preparation can unfairly inflate one’s scores, I offer a simple argument: anyone that goes to school on a Saturday morning and takes a test that is obviously a huge factor in college admissions without any kind of preparation has to have their drive and responsibility questioned. People talk about “cold” testing like it should be to somebody’s credit that they got a certain high score without studying. This drives me crazy. While the SAT is a reasoning test, and in theory should not be affected by preparation, anyone that just lackadaisically takes such an important test should have their mentality questioned. This is a big deal! Don’t you want to get ahead and give yourself the best possible opportunity? Life doesn’t reward people that expect to walk in and be given credit adjusted to the decreased amount of effort put in. And everyone has time to prepare for the SATs - can anyone really assert that they are too busy for a few hours each weekend for a month to spend on the most important test of one’s life so far?</p>
<p>To conclude, adequate SAT studying for smart (well, I don’t mean to be disparaging - those whose intelligence can be translated to standardized tests, which is the vast majority of people) kids can be had for $12 (ok, plus $4 for shipping, I apologize), so stop complaining about that. SATs are very important for most applicants, although a 20x0 will not keep you out of contention. But if you are unhooked and have anything less than stellar ECs, it’s going to be a tripping point. SATs are an adequate measurement of what they try to measure, and Princeton knows this.</p>