Monday, October 19, 2009

The test is taking me ... and my money


The test is taking me ... and my money:

"Contrary to popular belief, the SAT is not an invention of the devil for the torture of high school students. Nor is it, as the College Board (the company that makes the SAT) promises, the test that 'shows the colleges what you can do.'"

It is a business, and money is its only objective. Applying to college is pricey already, and one of the required parts of the application is an SAT score. Not even just an SAT score, but extra "subject tests," too.

The tests cost money to take. If you want to do well, you can buy the book. Yeah, there is a fee waiver you can get to take the SAT for free. But no matter how low one's income is, you have to pay for the prep books, the classes and the No. 2 pencils. It's almost cruel of the College Board to take stressed-out teenagers and prey upon their fears for money.

And the College Board isn't the only company taking advantage of us. Kaplan, Princeton Review and other SAT prep companies make a bundle selling books and private tutoring

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/18/IN1D1A53J1.DTL&type=education#ixzz0UOOPhfPi