Statistically Speaking

A small group of administrators at the University of California has called into question the role of the SAT subject tests in college admissions. The subject tests evaluate mastery of specific subjects in 28 areas from foreign languages to math and science. The University of California, the initiating force behind the 2005 addition of the writing section to the SAT Reasoning Test, has formed a university-wide faculty panel to push for the elimination of the SAT subject tests in their admissions process. Here is a look at the history of the highly controversial examinations at Carnegie Mellon and nationwide:

Average SAT verbal score nationwide in 1972: 530

Average SAT verbal score nationwide in 2007: 508

Average SAT math score nationwide in 2007: 520

Average SAT math score for Carnegie Mellon first-years in 2007: 718

Number of four-year colleges that did not require any SAT tests for admission in 2007: 755

Sources: [SLANT]www.collegeboard.com[SLANT], [SLANT]www.princetonreview.com[SLANT], [SLANT]www.infoplease.com[SLANT], [SLANT]www.insidehighered.com[SLANT]