Test optional is total BS

[Anonymous]

I am reading so many posts about kids with amazing GPAs and mediocre SAT/ACT scores. In this day and age of hugely inflated GPAs it makes more sense to me me that schools would require standardized test scores to at least see how these kids perform under that sort of pressure. College is not for the faint of heart (at least not at the top 20) and kids that can’t “cut it” with decent standardized scores really are doing themselves a disservice by attending and then not performing well on the exams and evaluations. So many people saying “Billy has a 5.0 GPA and all As and 10,000 AP classes but got a 1200 on the SAT…. Should we submit that to Stanford?” It’s driving me nuts. Not to mention that the only kids submitting scores are the ones who knock it out of the park which in turn just raises the average scores of those admitted. It’s a vicious cycle.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am reading so many posts about kids with amazing GPAs and mediocre SAT/ACT scores. In this day and age of hugely inflated GPAs it makes more sense to me me that schools would require standardized test scores to at least see how these kids perform under that sort of pressure. College is not for the faint of heart (at least not at the top 20) and kids that can’t “cut it” with decent standardized scores really are doing themselves a disservice by attending and then not performing well on the exams and evaluations. So many people saying “Billy has a 5.0 GPA and all As and 10,000 AP classes but got a 1200 on the SAT…. Should we submit that to Stanford?” It’s driving me nuts. Not to mention that the only kids submitting scores are the ones who knock it out of the park which in turn just raises the average scores of those admitted. It’s a vicious cycle.

Well, your comments are predicted on your belief that SAT scores are indicative of intelligence and/or doing well under pressure. Others believe SAT scores are more indicative of family income (i.e. ability to afford test prep; better quality schools, etc.) or simply test-taking ability (some people who are intelligent suck at test taking). That said, SAT’s are not necessarily a predictor or college success, and I think your belief about “grade inflation” is overblown. My DD did not do test prep for the SAT and got a 1350 on it. She did not wish to re-take the test because she had other things to do. Since the SAT average at her school wears high, she chose to go TO because, compared to her peers, she was below average. That said, she had a high gpa and got 5s on her hardest (i.e. STEM) AP exams. Do you believe APs are inflated, too? If so, then why not SATs? FWIW, she’s rockin’ college right now, so that supposed grade inflation is moot.

[Anonymous]

I hate TO because it inflates all the scores they are submitted so you’re not sure whether a 1480 is actually a good score. Sure. It’s not a great score when only 50% or less are submitting scores.

[Anonymous]

Agreed. It's skewed everything. In no world should test scores be the MOST important criteria, but we've made the kids so afraid to submit anything.

[Anonymous]

Fully agreed

Respect to Georgetown for not following suit

[Anonymous]

Agree! Standardized test scores are important and top schools absolutely value them. With that said, all of these schools love the way in which the TO applicants enhance their stats and their wallets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am reading so many posts about kids with amazing GPAs and mediocre SAT/ACT scores. In this day and age of hugely inflated GPAs it makes more sense to me me that schools would require standardized test scores to at least see how these kids perform under that sort of pressure. College is not for the faint of heart (at least not at the top 20) and kids that can’t “cut it” with decent standardized scores really are doing themselves a disservice by attending and then not performing well on the exams and evaluations. So many people saying “Billy has a 5.0 GPA and all As and 10,000 AP classes but got a 1200 on the SAT…. Should we submit that to Stanford?” It’s driving me nuts. Not to mention that the only kids submitting scores are the ones who knock it out of the park which in turn just raises the average scores of those admitted. It’s a vicious cycle.

Well, your comments are predicted on your belief that SAT scores are indicative of intelligence and/or doing well under pressure. Others believe SAT scores are more indicative of family income (i.e. ability to afford test prep; better quality schools, etc.) or simply test-taking ability (some people who are intelligent suck at test taking). That said, SAT’s are not necessarily a predictor or college success, and I think your belief about “grade inflation” is overblown. My DD did not do test prep for the SAT and got a 1350 on it. She did not wish to re-take the test because she had other things to do. Since the SAT average at her school wears high, she chose to go TO because, compared to her peers, she was below average. That said, she had a high gpa and got 5s on her hardest (i.e. STEM) AP exams. Do you believe APs are inflated, too? If so, then why not SATs? FWIW, she’s rockin’ college right now, so that supposed grade inflation is moot.

Blah blah blah.

SAT scores reflect family income... because family income reflects intelligence and doing well under pressure, and therefore SAT score reflects intelligence and doing well under pressure.

SAT scores are the strongest predictor of college success that we have.

[Anonymous]

Colleges/universities say they recognize how stressful the college application process has become. Yet, by making their applications test optional, they are adding another layer of complexity, another set of decisions, another way to increase the difficulty of applying. Either refuse to accept any test results or go back to having test results as a required part of an application. But don’t make the students game yet another element of this process.

Like the ED/EA/RD part of college applications, TO mainly benefits the schools, esp their admissions depts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fully agreed

Respect to Georgetown for not following suit

You and Georgetown really need to get a room

[Anonymous]

Totally agree. And there are plenty of free resources for studying now if a student is motivated. Scores might not indicate everything, but they sure as heck indicate enough to make them worthwhile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am reading so many posts about kids with amazing GPAs and mediocre SAT/ACT scores. In this day and age of hugely inflated GPAs it makes more sense to me me that schools would require standardized test scores to at least see how these kids perform under that sort of pressure. College is not for the faint of heart (at least not at the top 20) and kids that can’t “cut it” with decent standardized scores really are doing themselves a disservice by attending and then not performing well on the exams and evaluations. So many people saying “Billy has a 5.0 GPA and all As and 10,000 AP classes but got a 1200 on the SAT…. Should we submit that to Stanford?” It’s driving me nuts. Not to mention that the only kids submitting scores are the ones who knock it out of the park which in turn just raises the average scores of those admitted. It’s a vicious cycle.

There are not very many kids going to Stanford that could only get a 1200. There are however kids who might only get 1400-1490 going, who are strong academically. Because we all know that the SAT is not the be all end all measurement of intelligence. Someone with a 1450 is really not any less smart than your kid with a 1550, especially if that 1450 is from someone without the privileges your kid had growing up---so 1450 with no endless test prep, worrying about where their next meal will come from and if they are safe on the walk home from school, needing to work 20 hours a week to help the family, etc yet the same kid takes the most advanced courses at their school does well and strives to excel at everything. You don't know how to compare that to your privileged kid with 40 hours of test prep, all the money in the world and no real life concerns, who has always had tutoring if they struggled and parents pushing all things academic and college prep. Colleges have decided they do know how to compare and using SAT scores is not IT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am reading so many posts about kids with amazing GPAs and mediocre SAT/ACT scores. In this day and age of hugely inflated GPAs it makes more sense to me me that schools would require standardized test scores to at least see how these kids perform under that sort of pressure. College is not for the faint of heart (at least not at the top 20) and kids that can’t “cut it” with decent standardized scores really are doing themselves a disservice by attending and then not performing well on the exams and evaluations. So many people saying “Billy has a 5.0 GPA and all As and 10,000 AP classes but got a 1200 on the SAT…. Should we submit that to Stanford?” It’s driving me nuts. Not to mention that the only kids submitting scores are the ones who knock it out of the park which in turn just raises the average scores of those admitted. It’s a vicious cycle.

Which school are you in charge of admissions for?

[Anonymous]

I love that Purdue and Ga Tech require scores. They don’t mess around

[Anonymous]

Did you know that the percentage of students earning a 36 on the ACT is 17x higher today than 20 years ago? If grade inflation is such a problem, than this is, too.

https://www.applerouth.com/blog/2017/12/12/a-concerning-trend-continues-more-students-getting-perfect-36s-on-act/