Millions of students take the SAT each year in various test centers. Besides the cost of the actual test, guardians of these kids still go the extra mile by employing private tutors for their adolescents, which can prove to be expensive.
The Scholastic Assessment Test, also known as SAT, is a test administered by The College Board and is necessary for anyone seeking for admission into an undergraduate school. The test is divided mainly into Math and Evidence-based reading and writing.
The SAT base price is $47.50, but with an (optional) essay, it costs $64.50. The College Board is a non-profit organization and is aware of the fact that not everyone that wants to take the test can afford the fee. This prompted the organization to offer a fee waiver to low-income candidates who may not be able to afford it.
Various factors may vary the price of the test, which includes, signing up late, registering on a mobile phone, certain regional fees, and so on.
Parents also take it upon themselves to make sure that their college-bound kids are adequately prepared for the test. According to some sources, some families spend up to $400 and even more on arranged SAT preparations (classes and tutorials).
One reason why they take these measures year after year is that the SAT was made a bit harder and more challenging back in March 2005. The mathematics was made tougher, and open-ended essays were added.
This has helped in popularizing the ACT exam (the other main College admission exam). The ACT, formerly known as the “American College Testing” doesn’t require special preparation compared to the SAT. This is because their questions are much closer to the syllabus of various high schools.
Apart from being in the news due to the prestige that has been associated with it (and the high prep fees), the widely-known aptitude test has also been identified with some spine-chilling scandals.
The College Board is a non-profit organization and is aware of the fact that not everyone that wants to take the test can afford the fee.
The most recent issue surfaced when the FBI accused fifty people, including Hollywood’s own Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, of bribing officials with millions of dollars to make sure their kids are enrolled in elite colleges.
The Department of Justice announced to the press during a conference that Huffman, Loughlin, and several others have been charged federally with fraud. The news sparked uproar from various communities that struggle to get their kids into those same colleges.
The controversial issue also opened the eyes of the public to the favoritism the system has exhibited over the years. The admission system is far from being perfect, and some people feel that some policies should be reviewed.
Source: AmoMama
