4 ms·

You can retake the SAT (and GRE, and MCAT, and ...) as many times as you'd like (and can afford, I suppose). Also, the amount of weight such exams are given va

by Reelin 7y ago

You can retake the SAT (and GRE, and MCAT, and ...) as many times as you'd like (and can afford, I suppose). Also, the amount of weight such exams are given varies greatly by the institution here. Edit: For the SAT in particular, most publish tables showing their historical admission rate as it correlates to the combination of high school GPA and SAT score.

TingPing 7y ago
You can even go to many colleges without the sat (nothing prestigious ofc)
- unishark 7y ago
  Many top schools are no longer requiring test scores in fact. There is an argument that the test itself is somehow biased against under-represented groups. Also, less nobly, if a school makes test scores optional, their average test scores increase (which is a factor in rankings) since students will only submit them if they have good scores.
  - saagarjha 7y ago
    > Many top schools are no longer requiring test scores in fact. When I applied to college, there were a number of schools that has something that was “optional” but word on the street was that you’d have no hope of getting in without it. How “optional” are these, really?
    - iends 7y ago
      It’s probably like a lot of companies that offer remote work: if you have demonstrated already you are world class, they’ll make exceptions.
      - saagarjha 7y ago
        FWIW, all the people I know who went to “world class” universities did all the “optional” things.
    - unishark 7y ago
      I have been on admissions committees and there is of course the possibility in your mind that students who did not submit scores probably had bad ones. I certainly prefer having scores. But when tests are optional, plenty people will also just want to save the $50 or whatever it costs to take the thing. Particularly from poorer families. So you can't be sure and hate to reject a super candidate on this reason alone. Also there's always some people in admissions who are adamantly anti-test anyway. They do look deeper into the high school's reputation and individual course grades to make up the missing info that the test would have provided.
bobthepanda 7y ago
It's also worth noting that the SATs are offered multiple times a year, which makes retaking them a lot easier. The big pressure cooker exams in Korea are once a year, so if you choose to retake it (and many do) you are set back for a year.

by Reelin 7y ago

TingPing 7y ago

You can even go to many colleges without the sat (nothing prestigious ofc)

unishark 7y ago
Many top schools are no longer requiring test scores in fact. There is an argument that the test itself is somehow biased against under-represented groups. Also, less nobly, if a school makes test scores optional, their average test scores increase (which is a factor in rankings) since students will only submit them if they have good scores.
- saagarjha 7y ago
  > Many top schools are no longer requiring test scores in fact. When I applied to college, there were a number of schools that has something that was “optional” but word on the street was that you’d have no hope of getting in without it. How “optional” are these, really?
  - iends 7y ago
    It’s probably like a lot of companies that offer remote work: if you have demonstrated already you are world class, they’ll make exceptions.
    - saagarjha 7y ago
      FWIW, all the people I know who went to “world class” universities did all the “optional” things.
  - unishark 7y ago
    I have been on admissions committees and there is of course the possibility in your mind that students who did not submit scores probably had bad ones. I certainly prefer having scores. But when tests are optional, plenty people will also just want to save the $50 or whatever it costs to take the thing. Particularly from poorer families. So you can't be sure and hate to reject a super candidate on this reason alone. Also there's always some people in admissions who are adamantly anti-test anyway. They do look deeper into the high school's reputation and individual course grades to make up the missing info that the test would have provided.

bobthepanda 7y ago

It's also worth noting that the SATs are offered multiple times a year, which makes retaking them a lot easier. The big pressure cooker exams in Korea are once a year, so if you choose to retake it (and many do) you are set back for a year.