Re:MIT to no longer consider SAT subject tests in admissions...
by knzhou on Friday March 20, 2020 @11:27PM
(#22644139)
What's "objective" about the SAT is that, at the very least, different people are being made to take the same test. Contrast that with the essay: it looks like the same task (everybody gets 500 words), but for poor kids this task looks like writing an essay, while for rich kids it looks like shopping for the best college counselor to write the essay.
At the very least, given an SAT score, I can know that somebody worked alone for 4 hours with a No. 2 pencil to get it... that's more than any other indicator can guarantee.
What is the SAT objectively measuring? Not math. Not logic. Not writing ability. It's objectively measuring the ability to succeed at a timed test which involves some math, some logic, some verbal ability, and knowing how to "test well".
I taught GRE test prep classes for Kaplan for a year or two. What I observed was:
- To do well even the bright folks had to block out time and apply study skills, be organized, and "learn the test." - This means having the time to do those things.
- Time allocated for test prep and study was a better predictor of success than almost anything else.
- Yes, some people who were naturally better at certain things had it easier, but that did not obviate the above.
My conclusion for the GRE at least was that it primarily measured the time available to prepare, the study skills of the student, and the test prep resources the student had access to.