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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Standardized test scores matter more than grades.[/quote]

It’s a controversial opinion alright.  One that is consistently contradicted by the vast majority of studies not sponsored by College Board. I was phi beta kappa and came in with a standardized test score of bottom 20%. [/quote]

Depends on what you think matters more in life. Grades= how hard you work. Standardized tests= innate intelligence. I think both are very important, but hard work is very important. [/quote]

Agree they are both good important and IMO work ethic is a lot more important.  The problem I have with your point is that standardized tests measure “innate intelligence.”  They don’t. And don’t even claim too. The College Board itself says so. Per a PBS Frontline article: Originally (100 years ago) “the SAT was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the word "aptitude" meaning that the test measured an innate ability, rather than knowledge acquired through schooling. Today, the test administered by the College Board is still called SAT, but the name is just an acronym, with the letters no longer standing for anything. This fact illustrates the uncertainty that has surrounded what exactly the SAT measures.”

“According to the College Board, the SAT now does not measure any innate ability. Wayne Camara, Director of the Office of research at the College Board told FRONTLINE that the SAT measures "developed reasoning," which he described as the skills that students develop not only in school but also outside of school. He pointed out, for example, that students who read a lot, both in and out of school, are more likely to do well on the SAT and in college. The College Board says that the best way to prepare for the SAT is to read a lot and to take rigorous academic courses.”

There is no ONE test that measures “intelligence”. Intelligence is too multifaceted and certain types of skills require different types of intelligence.  Architects have different (notice not more or less) intelligence than a pianist, which is again different from an accountant or banker.

This confusion is why so many are hung up on the SAT/ACT. They think it validates their children are the special geniuses they want them to be and marks them as “deserving” of the elite college.  In reality the difference between a 1400 and 1600 is not meaningful.  Almost any high GPA kid who scores 1400 can thrive at any college.  It’s best use is as a baseline comparison for anomalies. The 4.0 kid who has an 950 looks like an anomaly. Maybe the school was too easy.  But there is no way the SAT/ACT is more predictive of success on the whole than GPA is. The tests can help contextualice the grades at best. [/quote]

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