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[quote=Anonymous][quote]Here is where the confusion lies. [b]The SAT just does not have that huge effect on a person's life in the U.S. It is only one of many aspects of a college application,[/b] and not by any means considered the single most important one. Many schools have made SAT/ACT scores an optional part of the application package. Lots of schools don't even require the applicant to send in their scores.
Colleges are looking at lots of factors: GPA, rigorousness of curriculum, involvement in extracurricular activities, essays, and sometimes interviews. Test scores are only one part of the picture and in no way are they determinative of anyone's future. Go to college admissions sessions and one will hear that SAT/ACT scores are not the sole factor in any student's acceptance or denial.[/quote]

I guess that explains why so many students take these exams so many times and it represents a billion dollar industry to the College Board and ACT organizations.  I'll take your advice and tell my rising high schoolers not to worry about it.  It's the unimportant small part of the picture (like GoCAT for AAP,  SSAT for private school  (Big 3) , MCAT for medical school, LSAT for law school, and GMAT for business school.

The US News and World Report every year publishes the median SAT scores for their matriculants.  For at least many of the leading institutions throughout the land (Ivies, MIT, Stanford, Cal Tech, LACs and so forth) the mean scores are north of 700 (on a 800 scale).  If you are a student applying today to some of these schools (assuming you have top grades and fine recommendations and deep extracurricular activities) will you leave to chance the SAT knowing how your competition is performing?  There is a reason why testing is a billion dollar industry.  Smart kids will not take your advice regarding not sweeping clean re: SAT/ACT.   Colleges recognize the testing monopoly and what it has created but they haven't quite banned it from consideration in the admission process.  Guess what, I'll advise my kids to aim to hit the SAT out of the park.  The 12 year-old is well en route with 700 on Math for the Duke TIP talent search (you will surprised to learn that there are well over 1000 twelve year-olds capable of this (no sweat) looking at the yearly performances on the various talent searches around the country (CTY, NMATS etc).  Do not leave it the chance until the schools completely do away with it.  My kids recognise the test score is intrinsically unimportant and meaningless but that's not the issue.  If you are not a legacy, rich , or the chosen one you had better take care of what you have control over...certainly in America given its longstanding history on the educational front for certain people.[/quote]

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