by sandmann » Nov 30, 2003 @ 10:07pm
Standardized tests are the best indicator of intelligence, period. Sure, some people don't test well, but they're exceptions. The vast majority of smart people do well, and stupid people do poorly.
Class rank is absolute bullshit, and grades are worse. Grades reflect effort rather than intelligence -- unless they're somehow weighted. That's why schools look at the difficulty of your schedule -- all B's in all AP classes looks a LOT better than all B's in all college prep classes.
Class rank is bad because it all depends on which school you're at. If I went to a school just 10 minutes from mine, I'd be top 10% easily. In my class, I'm just under top 20%. Why? Laziness. This year, I've actually decided to see just how well I could do in school, and realized that with about 30 minutes of work per night, I can do incredibly well -- like, 4 A+'s out of 6 classes, and I nearly had 5. Two were Honors/AP courses and the others were Accelerated. Now the entire top 10% (with whom I am in classes) hate me cuz I'm dominating all them and I don't "belong" in the "intellectual elite."
I love the SAT and ACT cuz I did well on both of them. If I weren't so shitty at math, I would've had a legitimate stab at a 35 or 1550. As it is, I got a 1410 and a 33.
The fates lead him who will;
Him who won't, they drag.
Seneca
