In its current form the test consists of two sections: Math and Verbal. Each of these sections is then sub-divided into three other categories to better isolate and pinpoint strengths and weaknesses. Although the initial versions were aimed at marking general intelligence, later versions have deviated. Today's SAT simply determines acquired knowledge and largely ignores raw intelligence.
Although many people are beginning to recognize the problems associated with standardized tests such as the SAT-there are still those who will argue in its favor. Some feel that the SAT gives disadvantaged students the opportunity to prove themselves. The SAT is a test designed to determine how well a student will do in the first semester of college. For students whose schools do not provide a way to visibly display individual abilities-the SAT seems to step right in and offer that opportunity. The SAT is supposed to be a test of logic and reasoning and should not refer back to school curriculum. It is designed to test a student's current ability to reason and make logical choices. While many people may argue this, Tom Ewing, spokesman of the Education Testing Service, says that both test developers and teachers rigorously review each test question (Perera). "We study these question to death we're very confident in our process. We write [questions] very carefully and involve teachers and if they don't work we toss them,"" (Perera). .
Contrary to what some people believe, the SAT is, for the most part, an inadequate method to determine college success. It only reveals the strengths and weaknesses of one's current logic and literature skills. It does not test their ability to obtain these skills. Nowhere within the test can someone's perseverance or devotion be evaluated. The score of the SAT cannot inform a college whether or not a student is a late-bloomer and furthermore that the student would be able to regain what they lost in their sophomore and junior year.