by Vince Ryan

Created on: April 08, 2009   Last Updated: April 09, 2009

Of course not. The acceptance of a student to a particular college should be contingent upon how well his/her SAT score is. The Standardized Aptitude test is a way of measuring a students critical thinking abilities as college will revolve around massive critical thinking. You can't just fly sky high through high school and then expect to beat all odds in college; no ,it doesn't work that way. Many universities, such as my university the University of Texas at Austin, accept students based on the top ten percent rule. If they are in the top ten percent of their high school graduating class they are automatically accepted. But what the admissions committee do not know is that some of the schools where students are accepted out of are schools that consist of below average performing students. Now this is where the SAT plays its tricks. It weeds out such students.

Until 2005 the maximum score that could be earned on the test was 1600 with a 200-800 scoring range on both the verbal and math portions. And presently, the scoring can range from a 600-2400 all together. The SAT tests literary, analytical, and writing skills. It was created by the College Board as a way to see if students would be prepared for college. It's kinda like when you get behind the wheel, if you are not prepared for it then you can crash your vehicle. Therefore you would be required to take a driving test so this way your driving instructor can assess whether you are ready to drive or not. Same concept with going to college and your SAT. If your SAT score doesn't meet the criteria for admission into a specific program then the committee will decide to reject you.

Suppose students are accepted into college without the SAT score being considered. If this occurs then who knows maybe the dropout rate will begin to increase as many students can't float with the rigors. And if this happens then funding for the university decreases as the university depends on mainly tuition fees for growth of facilities such as the writing center, tutoring center, and career center. As a result all of these help sites will have to shut down and this could hurt the feasible students as they may need assistance or guidance with one of their classes.

The SAT score is just a way to ensure that a student can have the potential to max out in college. Hypothetically, if a student were to score below an 800 on the SAT then there should be a very low probability that a student is accepted to the college of his/her choice because it will significantly decrease the likelyhood of the individual performing well in a college atmosphere. There is a huge correlation between the SAT material and what you face in a lecture hall; therefore it would only make sense for it to weigh more than your high school Grade Point Average or extracurricular activities.

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