"No, the SAT is not Required." More Colleges Join Test-Optional Train

[ucbalumnus]

<p>

@2018RiceParent

Why does the SAT correlate more with success at some colleges but not all?</p>

<p>If the SAT is measuring three important (albeit narrow) skills:

• the ability to read college level textbooks and papers
• the ability to do basic mathematics (algebra and geometry)
• the ability to edit for grammar errors (and do simple writing)</p>

<p>We have heard claimed that there are high schools for which these skills are not particularly important,
but why would there be colleges for which these do not have a bearing on the student’s success?

• fantastic tutoring and remedial preparation? (UT has summer programs for example for low scoring students to get remedial math, writing etc. to partially catch up)
• students improve their skills so quickly when they get on campus (the schools have a hidden test to identify students with a “potential to catch up quickly”)?
• those skills are not needed for enough courses to affect their graduation?

</p>

<p>There could also be factors like:</p>

<ul>
<li>Schools which require application essays could infer writing skills from the application essays in lieu of the SAT or ACT writing sections (although proofreading by others can make such measures somewhat cloudier).</li>
<li>Schools where few or no students go into math-heavy subjects (e.g. Sarah Lawrence College) may find that the SAT or ACT math sections are irrelevant to predicting student performance at the school.</li>
<li>Schools where many students emphasize visual and performing arts (e.g. Sarah Lawrence College again) may find that the reading and writing sections of the SAT and ACT are less relevant for those students.</li>
</ul>