4 ms·

Anecdotal evidence. This research is saying that in general a higher score correlates with more success later in life, but it is not saying that is an absolute.

Anecdotal evidence. This research is saying that in general a higher score correlates with more success later in life, but it is not saying that is an absolute. Similarly, doing poor on a standardized test doesn't destined you to a life of little success. I agree that in general an individual does have the ability to do well/poorly in life, but that doesn't mean that the tests serve no purpose.

totalZero 9y ago
Evidence for what? I think you're responding to what you assume my opinion is, instead of what I actually said: 1. These tests don't aim to assess habitual, interpersonal, and other relevant characteristics that are directly impactful to the success of college students. 2. They're just tests. They aren't studies, they aren't grades, they aren't interviews...they have substantial limitations.
- aje403 9y ago
  They are a decent proxy for intelligence. It is fairly hard getting a 2400 SAT or a 340 GRE or a 180 LSAT. College and grad schools involve taking cramming for and studying for a lot of tests. Your first point is a bit of a non sequitur. No admission committee has ever looked at a kid's SATs and said "wow, look at that work ethic!" Gauging whether someone is going to have the maturity to focus at school is a separate issue from test scores and very difficult to determine from a several page pamphlet describing an 18 year old.
  - totalZero 9y ago
    > No admission committee has ever looked at a kid's SATs and said "wow, look at that work ethic!" Oh, come on. Neither I, nor anyone else in this thread, has said anything to this effect. > College and grad schools involve taking cramming for and studying for a lot of tests. Unlike exams in college, the ACT and SAT are not knowledge tests, and they are not designed to be. It'd be tough to view these entrance exams as a way to judge a student's ability to take tests in college. Even the GRE and LSAT have a heavier preparatory burden and a more specialized set of expectations for test-takers (eg, diagramming in the Analytical Reasoning section of the LSAT). Arguably, admissions committees heavily overvalue exam scores, to the detriment of assessing the other factors that may have a greater impact on college success. It's easy to look at a universal metric, especially one that features in USNWR.

totalZero 9y ago

Evidence for what? I think you're responding to what you assume my opinion is, instead of what I actually said: 1. These tests don't aim to assess habitual, interpersonal, and other relevant characteristics that are directly impactful to the success of college students. 2. They're just tests. They aren't studies, they aren't grades, they aren't interviews...they have substantial limitations.

aje403 9y ago
They are a decent proxy for intelligence. It is fairly hard getting a 2400 SAT or a 340 GRE or a 180 LSAT. College and grad schools involve taking cramming for and studying for a lot of tests. Your first point is a bit of a non sequitur. No admission committee has ever looked at a kid's SATs and said "wow, look at that work ethic!" Gauging whether someone is going to have the maturity to focus at school is a separate issue from test scores and very difficult to determine from a several page pamphlet describing an 18 year old.
- totalZero 9y ago
  > No admission committee has ever looked at a kid's SATs and said "wow, look at that work ethic!" Oh, come on. Neither I, nor anyone else in this thread, has said anything to this effect. > College and grad schools involve taking cramming for and studying for a lot of tests. Unlike exams in college, the ACT and SAT are not knowledge tests, and they are not designed to be. It'd be tough to view these entrance exams as a way to judge a student's ability to take tests in college. Even the GRE and LSAT have a heavier preparatory burden and a more specialized set of expectations for test-takers (eg, diagramming in the Analytical Reasoning section of the LSAT). Arguably, admissions committees heavily overvalue exam scores, to the detriment of assessing the other factors that may have a greater impact on college success. It's easy to look at a universal metric, especially one that features in USNWR.