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The SAT is a standardized test designed to get standardized results. If you are someone who is exceptional in Art, how will your score for English determine how well you might do in a graphic design school? It's a flawed test and is completely outdated.

College and University are where you go to become something specific. You want to be a doctor or a lawyer. You don't want to be held back by a low score in an subject which you intend never to use in your working life. Testing of some kind prior to admission is still a good idea. It would give the schools a chance to find your strengths and weaknesses. But, the SAT no. It's geared to look for things that post secondary schools no longer need. The days of the "well rounded" student are past and today's student is much more specialized.

Colleges and Universities are looking for students who will stay long enough to get their degree. If a student flunks out, that school looses tuition and other fees for the remaining years the student fails to complete. Even an exclusive high cost school could become bankrupt if too many of students fail to graduate. Imagine if you will, a class of 40 in year one, becomes 30 in year two, 25 in year three and 20 in year 4. At $10,000 tuition per year that school would lose: 300,000 from lost tuitions of the first year drop outs (10k each over 3 years), 100,000 for year two, and 50,000 for year three. That's a total loss of 450,000 just within one class and assuming that all the people in that class are taking the same thing and that tuitions really are that low. Tuitions aren't that low, classes aren't that small and many degrees take more than 4 years to complete. The SAT is used to try to find the kids who will stay, and it's just not working. Something more individualized, and geared to the courses being applied to, would be much more effective.

Just the fact that the SAT is a standardized test tells you it is completely unsuitable for today's very individualized education options. Should testing be part of the admissions process? Yes. But, those tests should be much more specific and geared towards matching the right kid with the right course.

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