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The thing is most people who are reading this are probably well out of practice for the SATs. I remember doing a lot of studying and taking courses outside of

by Yhippa 11y ago

The thing is most people who are reading this are probably well out of practice for the SATs. I remember doing a lot of studying and taking courses outside of school to practice, practice, practice. Getting comfortable with these types of questions is very important.

showerst 11y ago
One of the big critiques of the SAT in the past has been its 'studyability', because it tends to mean rich people can hire SAT tutors for their kids and memorize exactly which equations/wording templates will be on the test and score higher, so this may be an effort to combat that. The related NYT article today suggests that all the extra english may actually make it worse for ESL students, so it's interesting to see if those goals will work at cross purposes.
- thrownaway2424 11y ago
  Trying to find an algebraic expression for the total number of text messages sent by Armand and Tyrone also seems to give the test the whiff of elitism, doesn't it? Or are all test-takers assumed to be the kinds of people who can afford mobile text messaging? In the 90s it was a big deal to get rid of all the language about how many horses Buffy was keeping down at the polo stables, because it was felt that not all test takers could relate to the story.
  - Retric 11y ago
    There is a world of difference between polo and cellphones. Even homeless people often have cellphones. PS: You can get a basic phone with unlimited text messaging and talk time for ~10$ a month. EX: Republic Wireless
JadeNB 11y ago
> Getting comfortable with these types of questions is very important. It is important, but I think that a question is whether it should be important. That is, what is the value of a test that only, or even just primarily, evaluates how well you've prepared for it? One (or at least I) would like a test that somehow evaluated only actual knowledge / skill, so that one's score couldn't be improved by drilling. (As showerst (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11067591 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11067591) points out, the reason one wouldn't like drilling to improve the score is because it's the rich kids who are able to afford the time and resources to drill, and so you're testing the wrong thing entirely.)
dripton 11y ago
I'd agree with you if the SAT had harder math on it. If I had to do calculus now, after not using it for 20 years, I'd get a lot of questions wrong. But the SAT doesn't really go beyond basic algebra, and after getting an engineering degree, that feels burned into my ROM. I retook the GRE over a decade after my last math class, without studying, and still crushed it. Certain skills (reading quickly, parsing questions correctly, working backwards from multiple choice answers) don't leave you.

by Yhippa 11y ago

showerst 11y ago

One of the big critiques of the SAT in the past has been its 'studyability', because it tends to mean rich people can hire SAT tutors for their kids and memorize exactly which equations/wording templates will be on the test and score higher, so this may be an effort to combat that. The related NYT article today suggests that all the extra english may actually make it worse for ESL students, so it's interesting to see if those goals will work at cross purposes.

thrownaway2424 11y ago
Trying to find an algebraic expression for the total number of text messages sent by Armand and Tyrone also seems to give the test the whiff of elitism, doesn't it? Or are all test-takers assumed to be the kinds of people who can afford mobile text messaging? In the 90s it was a big deal to get rid of all the language about how many horses Buffy was keeping down at the polo stables, because it was felt that not all test takers could relate to the story.
- Retric 11y ago
  There is a world of difference between polo and cellphones. Even homeless people often have cellphones. PS: You can get a basic phone with unlimited text messaging and talk time for ~10$ a month. EX: Republic Wireless

JadeNB 11y ago

> Getting comfortable with these types of questions is very important. It is important, but I think that a question is whether it should be important. That is, what is the value of a test that only, or even just primarily, evaluates how well you've prepared for it? One (or at least I) would like a test that somehow evaluated only actual knowledge / skill, so that one's score couldn't be improved by drilling. (As showerst (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11067591 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11067591) points out, the reason one wouldn't like drilling to improve the score is because it's the rich kids who are able to afford the time and resources to drill, and so you're testing the wrong thing entirely.)

dripton 11y ago

I'd agree with you if the SAT had harder math on it. If I had to do calculus now, after not using it for 20 years, I'd get a lot of questions wrong. But the SAT doesn't really go beyond basic algebra, and after getting an engineering degree, that feels burned into my ROM. I retook the GRE over a decade after my last math class, without studying, and still crushed it. Certain skills (reading quickly, parsing questions correctly, working backwards from multiple choice answers) don't leave you.