A lie detector, that is what the SAT always felt like to me — are all your leadership &

problem-solving skills, and science fair projects legitimate if you did not receive a 1400+ on

your SAT? Class president, captain of the basketball team, and valedictorian too, I thought I fit

the ideal measurements of all my dream schools. But as an international student, those four years

of your life are just one tiny bleep on your resume; the only way you can really compare to the

elite Americans is through just two numbers: your SAT score and the number of zeros your

daddy is willing to add for you to receive the first.

Therefore, it is no surprise that people are trying to cheat the system, it is nothing new

either. But since when did standardized exams become more about the income of your family

over a measurement of skills required for success in the 21st century — skills college board itself

claims to measure through their exams. With increasing attention on success, intelligence, and a

progressive world, it is a bit of a surprise to see that history is repeating itself — in 1998, it cost

around $2.5 million to secure a spot in Harvard, and in 2019, it took them $1.2 million to get into

some Ivy leagues; the sad part is no one is doing anything about it (Stewart). These are exams

students have been preparing for years, only to find out it does not matter what academic skills

you have garnered over your lifetime, as long as you are good at memorizing patterns, cranking

out an essay in 40 mins if given a prompt, oh, and if you come from tons and tons of money.

Andrew Palumbo, the dean of admissions at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts,

said, “The measurements important are ones standardized tests don’t measure very well, if at

all—the ability to work in teams, communicate, and solve problems on the fly (Selingo).” The

recent scandal just brought to light what everyone already knew, but did not want to believe,

especially deserving and hardworking students who strongly believed in an honest system.

Standardized exams are supposed to count as an equalizer, but how would that be if

where you come from is making you fall behind? Students with parents who have gained a
bachelor’s degree or higher get a better score than students whose parents have not, especially

when it is supposed to be your education they are measuring. However, it becomes more than

just the education of your parents when you look at the positive correlation between the number

of times you take the PSAT, and the score you receive on your SAT (Goldfarb). It is evident that

this exam is not about measuring skills required your future success, but about how well you

know the format of the exam, and how good you are at taking it.

It takes more than tricky reading questions and lengthy algebra problems to measure all

the abilities and talents it takes to be a good student — a lot of dedication, time, patience, and

hard work goes into it; all these habits that were built from being a hardworking student in high

school are habits and skills that will aid one in succeeding in college. The SAT, which is used at

the “initial screening of applications,” fails take those skills into account (Sundquist). To give the

supporters the benefit of the doubt — I would say: sure, keep the SAT, but change its definition

so it is crystal clear that it is not about your academic skills anymore, but about a game of

memorization and money.

 Work Cited

Goldfarb, Zachary A. “These Four Charts Show How the SAT Favors Rich, Educated Families.”

The Washington Post, WP Company, 5 Mar. 2014,

www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/03/05/these-four-charts-show-how-the-s

at-favors-the-rich-educated-families/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.a508a49b1896.

Graham, Jennifer. “The College Admissions Scandal Revealed What Can Happen When a Moral

Compass Breaks. How Can People Fix This?” DeseretNews.com, Deseret News, 21 Mar.

2019, www.deseretnews.com/article/900061406/college-admissions-scandal-controversy.

McCorkle, Matt. “The Most Infamous Example of Cultural Bias on the SAT.” Clear Choice

Prep, SAT and ACT Test Prep Curriculum with Your Brand | Clear Choice Test Prep, 8

Dec. 2016, www.clearchoiceprep.com/sat-act-prep-blog/the-most-infamous-

example-of-cultural-bias-on-the-sat.

Selingo, Jeffrey. “The Two Most Important College-Admissions Criteria Now Mean Less.” The

Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 25 May 2018,

www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/05/college-admissions-gpa-sat-act/561167/.

Stewart, Matthew. “The Moral Center of Meritocracy Collapses.” The Atlantic, Atlantic

Media Company, 18 Mar. 2019,

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/03/college-bribe-scandal-about-class-inequality/

584797/.

Sundquist, Kate. “What Your SAT Scores Really Mean In College Admissions.” CollegeVine, 1

Apr. 2019, blog.collegevine.com/what-your-sat-scores-really-mean-in

-college-admissions/.