Author:
An Observer
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Date Posted: 16:55:24 06/10/24 Mon
RW, I certainly agree with you that standardized test scores are not the "be-all and end-all" when it comes to evaluating college applicants. As you point out, taking tests is a skill. Some kids have that skill, but don't follow up by working hard. Others work hard, but don't have that particular skill.
Having said that, both Dartmouth and Stanford explained in their announcements that they had studied the correlation between applicants' test scores and their academic performance in college.
Both Dartmouth and Stanford said that standardized test scores were the single best predictor of performance in Hanover or on the Farm, better than high school grades or achievement/Advanced Placement tests.
So it's not that SAT/ACT scores are perfect or even excellent predictors of who will succeed in college. But they **ARE** the best thing going, period.
I think admissions officers always knew this intuitively, but as we know, there were political forces arguing against the use of standardized tests because of concern that family income was more important in driving test scores than academic ability.
My general view is that admitting college applicants is a very, very difficult business. It is not a job that I would want. But if forced to do it, at a minimum, I would demand that I receive as much data as possible. Under no circumstances would I say, "This data is imperfect, so I don't want it."
Income statements are an imperfect summary of how a company is performing financially. Would you want to evaluate a company without looking at its income statement?
As an aside, I wouldn't want to work with anybody who had body odor. I know this from personal experience. I especially wouldn't want to work in an OR with a fellow surgeon who had BO. Operating rooms have minimal air circulation, by design. That is, I'm against ORBO.
On the other hand, among all the surgeons with terrible body odor, I'd take my chances with the odiferous individual who had the highest SAT scores.
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