It’s time to bring back the SAT and ACT exams as part of the college application.
College admission officers are really asking only one question when they look at an applicant: Can they succeed here academically? It’s not an easy question to answer and they need tools to answer it such as a student’s high school grades, grade point averages, class rank, and test scores.
Let’s consider the academic side alone; for example, the class rank. How a student measures up or ranks against their peers can be useful information. Unfortunately, huge numbers of high schools no longer rank their classes. Another tool gone.
That leaves us with grades and test scores.
What’s wrong with grades? Don’t they really tell a student’s academic story? Not necessarily. High schools differ in size and quality. An A- in one school might well be a C+ in another. In addition, it’s no secret that grade inflation has gained a massive foothold in America’s high schools.
Let’s bring back the standardized tests so as to buttress those areas that aren’t as reliable as they used to be. A student who has excellent grades but scores poorly on such tests tells the admission officer a lot, as does the student with miserable grades but outstanding test scores.
The bottom line: The admission officer wants to make a good decision so as to provide a great opportunity for a capable student, and to keep a poorer student from signing up for a year or two of expensive failure. They need all the help they can get in making that decision.
I’m G.K. Wuori and, having spent over twenty years in college admissions, that’s my Perspective.
