Should SAT & ACT Be Optional For College Admission?

Depaul University in Chicago is making the SAT and ACT optional for students applying for 2012. This is the first large private, non-profit school providing such an option. Ana Kasparian and Jayar Jackson discuss on TYT University.

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[bman006bjj15843]

I Teach ACT/SAT for the Princeton review. Both tests are beatable fairly easily. Classes are just super expensive but definitely worth it if you can afford it. I think standardized tests have their place to determine how well prepared students are from each high school as a tool to judge high schools, but not as an individual indicator.

[tytuniversity]

@bman006bjj15843 Send us a video submission on this topic using the link/instructions at the top of the TYT U channel homepage.

[Theroha]

I don't know if the ACT or SAT should be optional or not, but there really should be some form of assessment for college. Whether it is a series of essays or standardized tests, it's a good idea to figure out if somebody has the knowledge and ability to make it through another four years of school or if they would be better off going to a tech school or straight into the workforce. Some people just don't have the brains or drive for higher ed.

[KennyEverything]

I took the SAT twice. First time I didn't take a practice course andgot a dissapointing score. The second time a took a course, one which wasn't very good, and I bought the book. I did not do much better.

[jakeirako]

You had to take special classes? Wow my high school sucked because I didn't even know about these special classes. In my junior year of high school my english teacher (1 of my teachers) told us about the SAT and how you couldn't really study for it. Even if they did tell me to study it wouldn't have helped. I saw math questions on there I didn't know what the hell it was and till this day I have never seen that math again and I'm in college now.

[monoxidelullabyx3x]

I'm not familiar with these tests (I'm not from America, I grew up in Malaysia). I've only heard of the SATs since a few of my friends have taken them. This might sound a little ignorant but, are these the only options for pre-university (or is there no pre-u in America?) Also, from all these videos I've realised that student loans are a problem is that the case with the majority of university students?

[MrAlexbradley]

@ReducedToAsh I would. It does exactly what it says it will do and tests test taking abilities! They test your knowledge of tests, which is what (most) college professors use to determine your level of proficiency in a subject. It does a great job, in that sense, of preparing kids for college.

[thenorm05]

I come from an inner city school, and while I agree that poorer students are at a disadvantage in terms of test scores, I'd generally say that it's not because we can't afford all these special classes. It's usually more because the good teachers avoid these schools like the plague, or the average class coursework is pulled down by lack of talent in classrooms. I scored 98th percentile on the PSAT, and received scholarships from my testing ability. The missing opportunity is in the classroom.

[AstroWaldo]

@jadotjolais, there are exams at the end of High School in each subject, it's called final exams, it happens everytime a Semester or Trimester ends and students have to take the test which makes up usually is 20 - 50% of their final grade. But however these final exams only conver what a High School class learned during the semester / trimester, it isn't national. Which is why the ACT / SAT got started so it's national and more reliable for college admissions.

[nothlithawk777]

@KarateKidX Some people don't work well under time limits. It makes them uncontrollably nervous and rash, and the test results are not an accurate reflection of that person's actual intellectual capabilities. There are better alternatives for judging a student's college-readiness than standardized testing. College is all about reading, writing, research and critical thinking (even within the sciences), not filling in little bubbles as fast as possible...

[davidkip88]

@lolnonamesleft "There is no way around getting to know how much knowledge an applicant has, without a standardized test score"

I must say that is a very narrow view. Canada does not have any those types of tests. I took at math test to figure out what class I should go in but that's about it.

[xGapex]

We have standardized tests too (don't know how SATs look like, but they should be simmilar) called the Matura Exam, and it's usually quite accurate, most of the time it's +- 1 grade (in comparison to the grades during the last year or 2 of high-school). Except if you go to a bad school, where you slack off for 4 years. Do you rly think it's fair that I bust my ass off in a good school and don't get accepted, cause I had worse grades than a guy who went to an easy school?