The ACT /SAT Standardized Test Scores  Still Matter!

Steve Cohen, Contributor at Forbes Magazine, discusses the dangers of parents believing the “Three Biggest Lies in College Admission.”

   The  three big lies making the rounds:

1. Standardized test (SAT and ACT) scores are less and less important.
2. Asking for financial aid won’t have an impact on the admission decision; and
3. There is a level playing field in college admissions.

Lie #1: Standardized Tests are Less and Less Important

Today, colleges are relying on standardized test scores when making admissions decisions to a far larger degree than they have in years.  One reason is that the number of applications at most top colleges is soaring.  That’s not because there are more 18 year-olds graduating from high school.  It is because more kids are each applying to more colleges.  And with little increase in the size of admission staffs at most colleges, schools are using SAT and ACT scores to make a fast, easy cut of the applicant pool.

Of course, no college is going to admit this.  Colleges love a big applicant pool; not just to craft a more attractive class, but to show the ranking services just how selective they are.  (In the perverse rankings world, more rejections equal a higher ranking.)  Instead, colleges are using several forms of numbers subterfuge to obfuscate what is really going on.

So what’s the truth behind the remaining  misconceptions?

Find out here:  “Three Biggest Lies in College Admission.” by Steve Cohen.