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The SAT when used as part of admissions process does an excellent job of providing colleges with the academic potential of students. The important factor being use of the test as part of a comprehensive process of admissions. Used alone as a gatekeeper would be grounds for abolishing the test.

One problem is that people perceive this test as a make or break proposition. That perception was fueled by 80s movies like Breakfast Club and Risky Business where a high score on the SAT was a guarantee of a prestigious college and future financial success. The reality is most schools look at standardized test scores in combination with the application form and depending upon the school an interview to help the school make a sound judgment on a student's potential.

Colleges today compete to attract students who will attend and actually graduate. The better the student, i.e. the higher test scores, grades, and extra-curriculars helps build a picture of the student's potential to handle the academic aspects of college.

The difficulty comes in when one considers the number of college freshmen who had high SAT scores, good high school grades, and involvement in extra curriculars but, they are not mature enough to handle a new life without direct parental supervision. No test or interview can determine accurately whether or not a student will graduate from college or drop-out.

In defense of the SAT it must be noted that decades of testing and research have illustrated it is a good measure of a student's current academic ability. However, that is only part of the picture when considering whether or not such a student will be at the college long enough to earn a degree. No standardized test is capable of measuring that.

The most important factor is colleges are in the business of making money. Use of the SAT helps schools efficiently and cheaply test the academic potential of students helping them make an informed guess as to which incoming freshmen will be there in the fall. Clearly, those who score higher have shown a degree of maturity and academic potential which is attractive to schools. In addition there are statistical correlations between income and achievement on standardized tests. Therefore, a wealthy student will score higher than a poor one meaning a school can justify a financial decision with a accepted measure of academic potential, the SAT.

Learn more about this author, T. M. Beeker.
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