"Dave" wrote in message

On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 06:57:17 GMT, "Maxprop" said:

How utterly laughable. SAT and ACT tests do not have any correlation
whatever between test scores and IQ scores. What BS. Here's another
revelation for ya: High SAT and ACT test scores also have no correlation
with success in college either. Why they continue to be used by colleges
is
a mystery. Even the universities admit this. Guess they need extra
papers
for their admissions offices to shuffle.

I think that's a bit of an overstatement. I think you'll find there is
some
correlation, but less than perfect correlation in each case.

My info is from an independent university (forgotten which, sorry) study
done in the early 80s which attempted to demonstrate a correlation between
success in college and high SAT or ACT scores. Needless to say I was
surprised to learn that the correlation was simply not there. I don't
recall the exact numbers--it's been a while since I saw that
publication--but the correlation coeficient was below the level of
significance.

There are a
number of factors that will affect success in college, but very few are
going to highly successful in college if they lack the basic capacity to
learn quickly, and all of the tests do measure that ability, though
imperfectly.

Apparently those other "number of factors" play a greater role in the
process. And as you well know, success on college admission examinations
can be the result of many disparate variables as well, such as
socio-economic background, and the ability to take tests effectively,
neither of which relates to "the basic capacity to learn quickly."

To take an anecdotal example, my daughter attended an elementary school
where the minimum criterion for admission was a very high IQ score,
regardless of the parents' wealth. She then attended a private prep school
where the parents' money was at least a significant admission factor for
many students and the average IQ was much lower. The two groups were just
about on a par in their college records of both admissions and
performance.

Your example appears to support my contention rather than your own.
Regardless, the contention of the radical left that SAT/ACT scores
correlates with IQ is bogus, and laughable.

Max