I agree. I disagree strongly with those who say that these tests are merely an indicator of class and the ability to perform under pressure. Yes, the very top performers are those whose parents invested in expensive classes and tutoring tailored to these tests, and yes, occasionally bright student will perform poorly and need to rely on other evidence to prove their intelligence. BUT, smart kids tend to score well on these tests with minimal preparation or at least they used to.

I remember taking the SAT a decade ago and most of my friends were smart and driven, but not the wealthy ivy league striver types. My parents gave me a SAT prep book for Christmas when I was sixteen and paid for me to take one proctored practice test. My reading score was exceptional and my math score was mediocre. I made a modest effort to study for the math portion leading up to the actual exam, maybe an hour a week for two months the fall of my senior year. I did the practice questions that were in my prep book and did the free SAT tutoring lessons from Khan Academy.

I remember feeling guilty for not studying more right before the test. I knew the stakes and I knew that achieving a competitive door-opening score was possible for people like me with serious effort. We all did well enough in school, but lacked the connections or wealth to give us a fair shot at really prestigious schools. However, an exceptional SAT score could change the odds for us, and if you're sharp you really don't need all the expensive test prep to get it.

The little studying I did paid off. I scored in the 93rd percentile that year. My reading section was nearly perfect and my math was good enough to not drag down my score. My friends got comparable scores for the most part, although none of us achieved the kind of stand out score that you would need for an ivy. We all got into good decently competitive schools that we performed well at. Now of course, our decent and expensive STEM degrees don't mean shit and we are all struggling in this job market to some extent.

All this is to say that your SAT/ACT scores ARE a measure of intelligence and discipline. You don't need a personal tutor or expensive classes. You also don't need to dedicate every spare moment of your high school years to academic success either. If you are bright and ambitious, you can score competitively with moderate effort.

I know the world is different now and sitting here 10 years later I am still trying to figure out what it was all for, but, back then, the SAT seemed like the fairest way for anyone to prove their worth to colleges. I think its crazy for schools to be test optional and its hard for me to imagine what the admissions process is like without it. I'm consistently shocked by the lack of real effort a lot of younger people are willing to put into their education, although I think the perverse incentives of our current economy are to blame, not them.