MIT going test required again

[Anonymous]

To be clear, performance on standardized tests is not the central focus of our holistic admissions process. We do not prefer people with perfect scores; indeed, despite what some people infer from our statistics, we do not consider an applicant’s scores at all beyond the point where preparedness has been established as part of a multifactor analysis. Nor are strong scores themselves sufficient: our research shows students also need to do well in high school and have a strong match for MIT, including the resilience to rebound from its challenges, and the initiative to make use of its resources."

Did you even read this? I agree MIT is using test scores to reduce applications. But, even with test scores, admissions will still be a lottery for all students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:good

The link didn't work for me but this one does:https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/we-are-reinstating-our-sat-act-requirement-for-future-admissions-cycles/Yes, it makes hiring so much easier. We have to thoroughly test applicants ourselves from more racist, cultural fit type colleges in IT as they have just been good at taking nine classes and dropping all but the gut classes. The objective result also helps us find often overlooked, underrepresented candidates from poorer more disadvantaged areas who put the work in individually. A wonderful reprieve after having to deal with an enormous ego and corresponding finger-pointing to deal with the "shock" of how weak they really are in spite of their genitalia/skin/daddy/delusion. MIT using data-driven correlation for more fair entry is awesome!

I can definitely believe that MIT found that requiring the SAT helped better select high school students who will do well at MIT.

But for companies hiring MIT graduates, wouldn't grades and internships and research tell you way more about the applicant than a single test taken in high school? That is, even if the admissions office picked some students who won't do well in college, can't employees tell who didn't do well in college?

By and large, if you major in STEM (and why else would one attend MIT), you will need extremely strong math skills. A 700 on the SAT Math section student is likely to struggle at MIT (not all would, but majority would). What I don't get is why MIT would be a school a student would apply to if they were not exceptionally strong in MATH?

Not all majors are STEM even at MIT.
There are easy majors too for URMs, Legacies, First Gen, atheletes, etc.

NP. MIT doesn’t do legacy admissions. And there are a couple of “easy majors” on a relative basis (compared to other majors at MIT) but they are still very difficult compared to other schools.

[Anonymous]

^ Btw very few students at MIT major in humanities outside of economics (and economics is very quantitative, at least as it is taught at MIT). Some have a humanities as a double major along with something in science/engineering. In fact, if more students were to want to enter those departments beyond fulfilling the graduation requirements, they would be very welcome!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:See Harvard.

Test optional will be much more prevalent.

People can slide through Harvard without actually being smart. That's much more difficult at a school like MIT, or alot of other schools. I think more schools will be returning to test required.

How many times does this have to be explained to you: standardized admissions tests do not measure intelligence.

And, you need much more than intelligence to do well in college.

This doesn't really match my experience. The kids who did well on tests were clearly brighter than that kids who didn't.

Agreed. The SAT has been shown to correlate as well with IQ tests as individual IQ tests do with each other. That was the older SAT though which was considerably harder. The new one is probably more trainable and less correlated with IQ, but the relationship still exists.

If SAT isn’t related to IQ show me all the 70 IQ kids (just as common as all the 130 IQ kids we see running around this area) with a 1500+ on the SAT.

People simply don’t like the fact that the SAT measures something real that helps to identify college potential.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

To be clear, performance on standardized tests is not the central focus of our holistic admissions process. We do not prefer people with perfect scores; indeed, despite what some people infer from our statistics, we do not consider an applicant’s scores at all beyond the point where preparedness has been established as part of a multifactor analysis. Nor are strong scores themselves sufficient: our research shows students also need to do well in high school and have a strong match for MIT, including the resilience to rebound from its challenges, and the initiative to make use of its resources."

Did you even read this? I agree MIT is using test scores to reduce applications. But, even with test scores, admissions will still be a lottery for all students.

A lottery for kids who score above 1500 lol.

[Anonymous]

The SAT is highly correlated to household income.

The majority of MIT students come from high income households.

Not surprised.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FO9NAQFXsAkMWK3?format=jpg&name=large

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The SAT is highly correlated to household income.

The majority of MIT students come from high income households.

Not surprised.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FO9NAQFXsAkMWK3?format=jpg&name=large

I suggest you read the MIT piece. Their experience is that including SAT results helps identify disadvantaged/low income students with the ability to do well at MIT who fo not have access to the high level classes found in upper income districts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The SAT is highly correlated to household income.

The majority of MIT students come from high income households.

Not surprised.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FO9NAQFXsAkMWK3?format=jpg&name=large

I'll guess other things that are correlated with household income:
- Grades
- Course rigor
- Quality of essays
- Existing high school relationship with a college
- Performance in regional and national competitions
- Extracurriculars
- Athletic performance
- Alumni connections
- High powered recommendations

The only thing I can see not correlated with income is having a story about overcoming hard life circumstances to succeed.

[Anonymous]

YAY!!! I hope they all do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That was a long way of saying “We had too many test optional kids flunk out.”

+1

Also now they are saying the SAT test is a way to offer equity

But last couple of years the SAT was racist and unfair

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:See Harvard.

Test optional will be much more prevalent.

Nope. Test optional will begin to disappear.

It was a trend that was never going to catch on for the masses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:good

The link didn't work for me but this one does:https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/we-are-reinstating-our-sat-act-requirement-for-future-admissions-cycles/Yes, it makes hiring so much easier. We have to thoroughly test applicants ourselves from more racist, cultural fit type colleges in IT as they have just been good at taking nine classes and dropping all but the gut classes. The objective result also helps us find often overlooked, underrepresented candidates from poorer more disadvantaged areas who put the work in individually. A wonderful reprieve after having to deal with an enormous ego and corresponding finger-pointing to deal with the "shock" of how weak they really are in spite of their genitalia/skin/daddy/delusion. MIT using data-driven correlation for more fair entry is awesome!

I can definitely believe that MIT found that requiring the SAT helped better select high school students who will do well at MIT.

But for companies hiring MIT graduates, wouldn't grades and internships and research tell you way more about the applicant than a single test taken in high school? That is, even if the admissions office picked some students who won't do well in college, can't employees tell who didn't do well in college?

By and large, if you major in STEM (and why else would one attend MIT), you will need extremely strong math skills. A 700 on the SAT Math section student is likely to struggle at MIT (not all would, but majority would). What I don't get is why MIT would be a school a student would apply to if they were not exceptionally strong in MATH?

Not all majors are STEM even at MIT.
There are easy majors too for URMs, Legacies, First Gen, atheletes, etc.

NP. MIT doesn’t do legacy admissions. And there are a couple of “easy majors” on a relative basis (compared to other majors at MIT) but they are still very difficult compared to other schools.

+1

HYSM here. This is exactly true. Don't count on any easy admit to MIT.

[Anonymous]

One thing this shows is that colleges which say they are test optional really are test optional - if bit there would be no need to reverse the policy. I note this as parent of a junior because I have been in numerous conversations on this point (are colleges “just saying” they are test optional, but they still want/expect students to submit test scores).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The SAT is highly correlated to household income.

The majority of MIT students come from high income households.

Not surprised.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FO9NAQFXsAkMWK3?format=jpg&name=large

I'll guess other things that are correlated with household income:
- Grades
- Course rigor
- Quality of essays
- Existing high school relationship with a college
- Performance in regional and national competitions
- Extracurriculars
- Athletic performance
- Alumni connections
- High powered recommendations

The only thing I can see not correlated with income is having a story about overcoming hard life circumstances to succeed.

SAT/ACT is at least fair and objective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:See Harvard.

Test optional will be much more prevalent.

Nope. Test optional will begin to disappear.

It was a trend that was never going to catch on for the masses.

Harvard and pretty much the entire California public college system disagrees.

One highly rejective college reverting back to a standardized test. Not exactly earth shattering news.