The ACT and SAT Reasoning Test or SAT are decent tests of competencies and know-how. They are not really excellent predictors of success after college and are dubious predictors of success in college. Since competitive four-year colleges have made them a major factor in their admissions decisions and merit scholarship awards, it makes sense for students in San Francisco seeking admissions at highly regarded colleges to study for the ACT and/or SAT Reasoning Test or SAT. The ACT or SAT Reasoning Test constitutes a standard that can help in university admission decisions, considering disparities in secondary school quality in addition to students’ choice of courses in the San Francisco area. The ACT or SAT Reasoning Test or SAT can be coachable. Everyone improves with SAT or ACT prep. The only issue is the amount of improvement. The ACT or SAT or SAT Reasoning Test is simply not a measure of fixed information, competencies, or simply “intelligence”. (Ask our many students who have raised their own scores as much as 850 points after a couple months of SAT Reasoning Test prep.) Universities overweigh the ACT or SAT due to the fact other measures, such as GPA, moral character, and school competitiveness, are challenging to compare and contrast. Overweighting the ACT or SAT Reasoning Test gives a great opportunity to high school students who don’t have strong grades, or are in less highly-regarded schools. Overweighting the ACT and SAT Reasoning Test means students with good grades and in good high schools will need to protect them with solid ACT or SAT Reasoning Test scores in the San Francisco area. I wonder whether anybody sincerely needs very much higher SAT Reasoning Test, SAT Subject Tests, and ACT scores in the San Francisco area?
Who else is looking for much higher SAT or ACT scores in San Francisco?