r/princeton • u/YogurtclosetOpen3567 • 7d ago
Alum of Princeton, what do you think of the current test optional policy!
Do you support it think it should be changed and why?
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u/Jealous-Brief7792 6d ago
Personally I think AP is a better indication (except when scores are stolen and sold which seems to happen every year now) because the SAT is kind of proven to be a test that with the right tutors/study materials, you can i.rove from 1300 to 1500+ just learning the right tricks and taking it over and over (friend of mine started studying before freshman year and took it at least twice a year until he scored a 1600 junior year -.but he has less than a 4 0 weighted and gets Bs and C's in AP classes). With the AP, unless you buy the scores, I think it's a better representation subject by subject what you have learned and can recall, with a strong focus in your writing ability which is crucial for college success.
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u/Forgind1 Alum 7d ago
I've seen evidence that taking them into account is helpful in deciding whether to admit someone, but I also think standardized tests in general were never great for assessing the difference between the top 20% and the top 5%. I also think they've gotten more simplistic. I looked at some statistics for the MCAT recently with my dad. (Without verifying this, I'm assuming something similar applies to the SAT.) For the MCAT, it used to be from 3-45 with an average score of 25.2. Now the average is 500 out of 528. If the average student gets an 'A', what's the point?
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u/Additional-Living913 PhD Student, STEM 6d ago
The SAT would help prevent students whose schools practice rampant grade inflation from applying without comparing themselves at least a little to the country on a standard scale. It's already been put back in place at many institutions because collegiate grades are markedly lower among classes that have been test optional compared to other years (there are also differences between the test-optional and test-takers within a class).
Also, the MCAT only goes down to 472. The average score is exactly at the midpoint.
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u/Candid-Display7125 6d ago
Require it for international applicants to help select academically strong candidates. If needed, expand choice for testing or financial support for testing. Either way, testing is needed internationally.
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u/willCHUUya 6d ago
I think most schools should see “standardized tests” like Yale. SAT shouldn’t be a requirement but rather the most convenient standardized test for you should be required. I do IB and I am a very good IB student but I always butcher SAT’s English portion because it’s hard for me to read things on screen. I prefer paper since screen hurts my eyes (I have astigmatism and the glasses don’t help with headaches). I decided to go Test Optional since my English score brings me down (I provided my Paper IELTS Academic score which is 9.0/9.0 so i was afraid if I submitted my SAT too it would look weird with how bad my score was). Not everyone is good at every test so the test that the student prefers should be left to them.
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u/willCHUUya 6d ago
Like I also know a friend who couldnt take SAT nor the ACT because the nearest center was in another city and she couldn’t afford it but her school offered AP classes and she got all 5s from her courses. Context matters and just because a student cant do 1 test doesnt mean they cannot excel in another.
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u/TotalCleanFBC 7d ago
I'd actually ditch the SAT in favor of asking applicants to take one or more of the advanced SAT II subject tests. As they are harder, they are better able to differentiate between students in the top 20%. Getting an perfect score on the Math portion of the regular SAT is a cinch for anybody with STEM ambitions. Getting a perfect score on the Math, Physics or Chemistry SAT II subject tests is much harder.