What is the SAT, and why is it important?
The SAT is a test administered to high school students in order to assess their ability to succeed in college, independently of high school grades and other indicators. For many years, the SAT has been a requirement for admission to most four-year colleges and universities in the U.S., and the test has a history spanning more than a century. (For more information, such as what the letters “SAT” and “ACT” stand for, see the (Mostly) Brief History Of The SAT And ACT Tests.) Many changes to the test have been made in the last 80 years to continue to make it relevant and valuable for college admissions. More recently, however, the importance of the SAT itself has diminished: all four-year colleges and universities now allow the use of the ACT as a replacement for the SAT, and some colleges have made both the SAT and ACT optional. Questions remain as to the usefulness of these tests in predicting future success in college.
