S.A.T Tests and why there are bad?

Question

I am writing an essay and i was just wondering if you could give me some good reasons why the S.A.T Test doesn't gadge how smart you really are. If you could each give me 1-2 reasons that'd be great

Ryan

Answer 1

Originally, the SAT was intended to "level the playing field" by providing a standard test to compare students from many different high schools (for example a rich suburban school versus a poor inner city school). Supposedly, poor students were overlooked by competitive schools because they didn't come from high schools with good reputations. But soon, test-prep courses arrived on the scene and coached students who could afford the fee, negating the "standardizing" effect of the test. It was back to the "pre-SAT" situation.

Bottom line:
SAT favors "rich" schools
SAT favors students who can pay for test-prep (unless "poor" students can get free test-prep from their high school)

Answer 2

well, one cop out answer is that it isnt fair to minorities, poor black minorities usually since the asians seem to do even better on it than the whites. another one is that some kids dont test well. Come on now though. There are ways of studying for the sats, and yes if you are rich you may get a tutor to learn all the tricks, but its still not gonna help you if you are completyl ignorant. They test the basic knowlege and skills you should have acquired over three or four years of highschool. All high schools "should" be teaching about the same thing, some more than others maybe, but if you are in the college prep section of highschool as opposed to the home ec section you should be able to do decently on the test. If you dont, you will probably have a hard time in college. So, they may not gauge how "smart" you are, that would be an iq test, but they do show how well you have learned or retained information in school, and well you will likely be able to do in college.

Answer 3

The S.A.T test isn't that great because if you answer a question incorrectly or "guess" they take so many points off and because of that it lowers your score, getting you a possible lower score over the whole test.