What is it about the SATs whats the point?

Question

you study for this test like any other then you forget. What are they trying to measure

Answer 1

I think it's an acronym for scholastic aptitude test. It's a measurement to understand what you're potential is for colleges so they can accept only the best students which will intern reflect on the quality of the university.

Answer 2

They are trying to measure your ability to use language and math and to use a tool that is common to all who take it, namely, the SAT. You know that schools are different and have different standards. Heck you even know that is the case with different teachers in your own school, some even in the same department. Colleges, therefore, need some way of comparing applicants using a common denominator. The SAT serves that purpose.

It is also well to understand that the SAT is only ONE thing colleges look at. Most important are the courses you took in high school, the grades you received in those courses, and whether or not you availed yourself of the most challenging courses in the process. If student A took all general courses and got all A's, student B who took all honors level courses with the same success, would have the upper hand during the admissions process.

Further there are the recommendations from your teachers and the essay that most schools require. All of these figure into the admissions process, not just the SAT.

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

The point is that higher education needs a way to break people up at the top. Could you imagine what would happen if these tests didn't exist? Everyone would suing to get into the Ivy League schools! "I have a 3.99 from ABC College and I got rejected!" These test just measure who well you take tests, but honestly, that's what mainly goes on in really demanding programs. If you aren't good at them or just don't want to take them, just go to a community college and WORK HARD, and then transfer into a "name brand" school. That's what a lot of people do. I did it and I'm an attorney who went to a great law school. My brother did the same thing and we went to a top 10 dental school.

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

If you are questioning the the test you are too smart for college already, but you have to go and get the degree. Once you graduate you can say college is lame. If you don't graduate and say "college is lame" then people just assume you are saying that because you did not go or graduate. So take the test, go to college, and try not to let them bore you too much so you can get out with some creative energy left and move on with your life.

Answer 5

SAT score is the basic criteria of judgement of the capability of a student and it determines your acceptance into a college

Answer 6

So that the college will let you in by the highest score you make.

Answer 7

Your score is a major credential that colleges look at when they either decide to accept you or reject you.

Answer 8

there trying to see if they want to give you money in the future

Answer 9

it helps the collages decide wether you are able to fit into that school

Answer 10

Unlike many other countries' education systems, there are substantial differences in teaching methods and curriculum among U.S. secondary schools, both in regard to high schools in separate states and between high schools in the same state. The variability results largely from the American principle of federalism, whereby local jurisdictions have most of the control over school systems, and the tax system in the U.S., in which school districts are funded locally as well. Wealthier jurisdictions enjoy higher tax revenue, and as a result their public schools are better funded.

These differences make it difficult for universities to compare prospective students in an effort to identify and admit the most deserving and promising candidates. In the absence of centralized secondary education school exit exams (such as the French Baccalaureate, Irish Leaving Certificate, or British A-levels), there is a need in the U.S. for some sort of standardized tests. U.S. universities use tests such as the SAT and the ACT as a way of assessing students coming from schools using different class ranking or grading systems or in schools with no grades at all.

The tests are generally taken by high school students or graduates wishing to progress to higher education, though they are available to anyone. Test results of applicants are provided to colleges and universities identified by the student. Although admission criteria to these universities also includes GPA, teacher recommendations, and participation in extracurricular activities, some colleges have a threshold score that automatically qualifies or disqualifies a candidate for admission. Scores on the SAT are also sometimes used as a criterion for the awarding of many academic scholarships (see also PSAT).

SATs worldwide
Internationally, there is little widespread interest or knowledge of the SAT, because other countries usually have their own standardized tests. However, the SATs are available worldwide to interested students.

Graduates of schools outside of the United States seeking admission to U.S. colleges/universities are often expected to provide SAT (or ACT) scores. These students are often not informed of the availability of these tests, and most teachers outside of the U.S. (especially those in non-English speaking countries) are also not aware of this requirement. Usually, interested students must obtain information about the test on their own (typically from U.S. embassies, consulates, an international school and/or by obtaining a free "SAT Program Registration Bulletin, International Version"). This can require international travel and large fees. Because the SAT has been well established for many years, some universities outside of the U.S. may also consider SAT scores in their admissions process as well, although they are rarely required.

England and Wales use quite different tests called SATs (pronounced sats) at several stages in the school system.


SAT Reasoning Test
The SAT Reasoning Test (formerly the SAT I: Reasoning Test and commonly referred to as the SAT I) consists of three sections: math, critical reading, and writing, which includes an essay. Beginning with the March 12, 2005 administration of the exam, the SAT Reasoning Test was modified and lengthened. Changes included the removal of analogy questions from the Critical Reading (formerly verbal) section and quantitative comparisons from the mathematics section. A writing section (with an essay) based largely on the former SAT II Writing Subject Test was added to the exam, and the mathematics section was expanded to cover three years of high school mathematics. Also, since the writing section was included in the SAT I, the SAT II Writing Subject Test was discontinued. Short passages with one or two questions following them replaced analogies. Scores on each section range from 200 to 800, with scores always being a multiple of 10.

The new SAT contains ten sections and a total length of 3 hours 45 minutes; with the additional writing section, a "perfect" score on the new SAT is 2400 (On the March 12, 2005 SAT, 107 students nationwide scored a perfect 2400[1]; scores are calculated by the addition of the score on each section; thus a score of 800 on the Critical Reading, Math and Writing sections are needed for a perfect score). The ten sections are divided up as follows: three math, three reading, and three writing, with one equating section which may be any one of the three types. The equating section does not count in any way towards a student's score; it is used to test questions for future exams and to compare the difficulty level of each exam. During the test, takers do not know which section is the equating section (however, it is never the essay or Section 10, which is always a ten minute writing section). Each of the questions within a section is ordered by difficulty (the test is commonly said to be "powered"). However, an important exception exists: questions that follow the long and short reading passages are organized chronologically instead of by difficulty. It's also important to note that each question carries the same weighting. Each question now has five answer choices. Ten of the questions in one of the math sections are not multiple-choice. They instead require the test taker to input the result of their calculations in a four-column grid. For each correct answer, one raw point is added; for each incorrect answer one-fourth of a point is deducted. However, for the ten student-produced answers in the math section, no points are deducted for a wrong answer. The final score is derived from the raw score; the precise conversion chart varies between test administrations due to minor variations in test difficulty.

Which scores on the new test qualify as "excellent", "average", or "poor" is yet to be determined. One of the reasons for the new test was to broaden the range of scores by adding another section; however, this tends to make judging new scores difficult. Many American colleges will require the new test, but will continue to only consider the reading and math score combination in the criteria of their admissions process. Some colleges will now accept the writing section in lieu of the SAT II: Writing Subject Test, which has been discontinued. Most universities and colleges plan to study the results from the new tests for several years before setting expectations and requirements.

In the early 1990s, the SAT consisted of six sections: two math sections (scored together on a 200-800 scale), two verbal sections (scored together on a 200-800 scale), the Test of Standard Written English (scored on a 20-60+ scale), and an equating section. In 1994, the exam was modified, removing antonym questions, and adding math questions that were not multiple choice. The average score on the 1994 modification of the SAT I was, in theory, 1000 (500 on the verbal, 500 on the math). The most recent national average was 520 for math and 508 for verbal, a combined score of 1028. The most selective schools in the United States (for example, those in the Ivy League) typically had SAT averages exceeding 1400 on the old test.