<p>I don’t know about IQ tests per se, but this discussion has reminded me of an old documentary that I heard about on PBS. Well, I searched for it and found the transcript online: </p>
<p>[Transcript</a> | Secrets Of The Sat | FRONTLINE | PBS](<a href=“http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/etc/script.html]Transcript”>Transcript | Secrets Of The Sat | FRONTLINE | PBS)</p>
<p>The documentary follows students as they study for the SAT and try to get into UC Berkeley and similar colleges. I found it surprising that the original purpose of SAT and I.Q. tests were to open selective colleges open to promising students outside of the upper classes, although now people rely heavily on spending money to get higher test scores through prep classes and books. The documentary also hints at the revenue that Princeton Review and Kaplan receives from students who are desperate to get the highest possible score. The documentary touches on the wording of questions on the SAT as well. </p>
<p>While I wasn’t able to find a lot of clear IQ test studies, I did come across the work of Roy Feedle, a man who has been questioning the fairness of tests such as the SAT and IQ tests.<br>
[News:</a> New Evidence of Racial Bias on SAT - Inside Higher Ed](<a href=“http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/06/21/sat]News:”>http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/06/21/sat)</p>
<p>Once again, I am not so sure that the SAT is racially discriminatory but I think that a person’s economic standing has more to do with success on these tests than anything else. However, we cannot ignore the fact that most of the students who are put at a disadvantage economically are often minorities. I think that it is a lack of knowledge and resources within schools that are predominately made up of minority students that account for low test scores more than anything else.</p>
<p>I know this is kind of long lol, but I personally believe that the ACT is more of a valid measure of what a student has learned and estimate their ability to grasp work at a higher level than the SAT. The SAT is more about learning how to take a test and doesn’t seem to require that much intelligence if a person is taught how to perform. The ACT tests things that people actually learn in a classroom, and might give some insight into how well the student learns and retains information. Any thoughts? I’m curious to see what others think…</p>