3 ms·

For fuck's sake, cut out the middle man and just request SAT / ACT scores.

auxym 9y ago
I'm canadian so have never taken these tests, but I was under the impression that a large component of scoring well on them is cramming?
- jx2zhou 9y ago
  You're correct.
- losvedir 9y ago
  Not really. I think of the SAT as a great equalizer since a brilliant kid in rural Nebraska will do well and be able to go to an elite college, while a silver spoon heir will spend thousands and maybe improve their score but certainly not max it out. Not to toot my own horn but I got a perfect score on the math part of the SAT with little prep, and I've tutored others on the same and only managed to eke out a little improvement. (In contrast, I've tutored math course work and had more success there.) The math isn't very advanced, it's just a matter of doing it quickly and accurately.
  - JumpCrisscross 9y ago
    > I think of the SAT as a great equalizer The truth is more nuanced [1]. [1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/03/05/these-four-charts-show-how-the-sat-favors-the-rich-educated-families/?utm_term=.3582505ca972 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/03/05/these...
- akgerber 9y ago
  I did very well on both tests in high school without much cramming (I skimmed one study book from the library), and scored something like 90th percentile when I took the ACT in middle school. Whether this is correlated to anything important in real life is an entirely separate question.
- trentmb 9y ago
  Maybe. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/05/09/can-coaching-truly-boost-sat-scores-for-years-the-college-board-said-no-now-it-says-yes/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/05/...
- thaumasiotes 9y ago
  From a psychometric perspective, they are IQ tests, in that they show the same correlation with IQ tests that IQ tests show with each other. From a research-into-today's-hot-button-issues perspective, they are routinely slammed for being about cramming, but the effect of test preparation on test scores tends to be very close to zero when you look into it.
Joof 9y ago
I did well, but I also took it with a severe migraine. Can I take it again now?

I'm canadian so have never taken these tests, but I was under the impression that a large component of scoring well on them is cramming?

jx2zhou 9y ago
You're correct.
losvedir 9y ago
Not really. I think of the SAT as a great equalizer since a brilliant kid in rural Nebraska will do well and be able to go to an elite college, while a silver spoon heir will spend thousands and maybe improve their score but certainly not max it out. Not to toot my own horn but I got a perfect score on the math part of the SAT with little prep, and I've tutored others on the same and only managed to eke out a little improvement. (In contrast, I've tutored math course work and had more success there.) The math isn't very advanced, it's just a matter of doing it quickly and accurately.
- JumpCrisscross 9y ago
  > I think of the SAT as a great equalizer The truth is more nuanced [1]. [1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/03/05/these-four-charts-show-how-the-sat-favors-the-rich-educated-families/?utm_term=.3582505ca972 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/03/05/these...
akgerber 9y ago
I did very well on both tests in high school without much cramming (I skimmed one study book from the library), and scored something like 90th percentile when I took the ACT in middle school. Whether this is correlated to anything important in real life is an entirely separate question.
trentmb 9y ago
Maybe. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/05/09/can-coaching-truly-boost-sat-scores-for-years-the-college-board-said-no-now-it-says-yes/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/05/...
thaumasiotes 9y ago
From a psychometric perspective, they are IQ tests, in that they show the same correlation with IQ tests that IQ tests show with each other. From a research-into-today's-hot-button-issues perspective, they are routinely slammed for being about cramming, but the effect of test preparation on test scores tends to be very close to zero when you look into it.

Joof 9y ago

I did well, but I also took it with a severe migraine. Can I take it again now?