To Richard Atkinson, cognitive psychologist, testing expert and, since 1995, president of the University of California, the SAT has always been a mystery. What, exactly, does it measure? The original exam, developed in the 1920s, was designed to predict how well students would do in college. The Educational Testing Service, which develops the test, insists it still does. But Atkinson, 71, is worried about the growing number of parents pouring thousands of dollars into SAT-prep programs (last year an estimated 150,000 students paid more than $100 million for coaching) and even shopping around for psychologists to certify that their kids are...
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