The SAT measures basic academic skills and fundamental academic knowledge, which includes math skills, reading fundamentals and logical techniques. Each of the skills that the SAT tests for are factors that benefit a student upon entering college. Advanced understanding of these skills can help a student grasp the information taught at a college level and get a head start on their college pursuits. Unfortunately, academic skills are not the primary determinant in college success. The SAT fails to test for college skills that are more significant to a college student's early success.
Colleges offer a remedial training in nearly all subjects to assist students and help them learn the fundamental skills that they need to succeed. For a new college student, other skills are often more important than basic academic understanding. For instance, a college student must have the self motivation to study, the self restraint to avoid external distractions and the willingness to seek help when he requires it. Additionally, college success relies on specific academic skills that the SAT cannot test for, such as complicated literature interpretation, comparative analysis and developing logical inferences. Each of these skills requires long-term training and complex evaluations beyond what the SAT can perform.
A weak correlation exists between first-year academic success and a high performance on the SAT. This correlation identifies the fact that the academic skills that the SAT tests for do benefit early students; however, because the correlation is weak, it also proves that many other factors influence college success. The National Center for Fair and Open Testing says that high school grade point averages have a higher percentage correlation to first-year college success than high SAT scores.
The SAT is a widely used and widely accepted standardized exam. The test provides a method for students to stand out, regardless of where they went to high school or whether they earned good grades in high school. For students in low income schools, the SAT is an opportunity to be noticed by colleges that otherwise may not consider the student a valid applicant based on high school failures or assumptions about the high school.