Julia M. Reyes '95, president of LaO, says that she understands how the test can be biased, although she did not encounter any discriminatory questions when she took the test herself.
"I don't like judging a person's intelligence or quantitative reasoning based on a standardized test," says Reyes, adding that Hispanic students' lower overall average scores at Harvard do not accurately reflect the group's aptitude.
Gutierrez also says he did not find the test biased, although he says, "Looking back, if I didn't have the money [for a preparation program], there's no way I could have gotten [certain questions]."
Fitzsimmons acknowledges that studies on the SAT show that certain ethnic groups and students of poorer socio-economic background have a pattern of lower average scores.
He also says that a higher percentage of minorities, particularly Blacks, are on financial aid at the College.
"A complicated factor in the United States is that there is enormous differences in terms of socio-economic background, access to the best schooling, summer programs," Fitzsimmons says. "There are therefore some ethnic groups that experience more disadvantages."
According to a study by the College Board, minority students, with the exception of Asian Americans, have consistently scored lower than white students for the past 16 years.
Despite this trend, College Board spokesperson Janice Gams still says the test is a good standard measure for colleges to use in the admissions process.
"The colleges find them useful because not every student in America is required to take the same courses," Gams says, acknowledging that factors such as education of parents and economic situation can affect a student's performance.
In an effort to reduce the test's biases, says Gams, the College Board has completely revamped the all-multiple choice test. The new test, to be given next year, will include a writing section and a math computation section.
Many colleges, however, are moving away from using SAT's in the admissions process.
One hundred and twelve colleges across the country do not require the SAT for admission and several, including MIT, are de-emphasizing the value of a candidate's scores, Schaeffer says.
Schaeffer says that with the increasing number of experts disputing the SAT's validity, he hopes the test will no longer be required for college admission.
"I would like to see a national leader type of college--like Harvard--go SAT-optional and I'm sure you'll see a domino effect after," Schaeffer says.
Reyes also said "it would be nice to see colleges de-emphasize the test." And Gutierrez says making the test optional would be the best way to ensure that college admissions officers do not solely focus on SAT scores.
But Harvard officials say the University will not be joining the trend, despite a move by another Ivy League school, Columbia University, to de-emphasize the test. While Fitzsimmons says scores are a small part of a candidate's portfolio, the University is reluctant to completely discount the SAT's validity.
"I feel they're a reasonable predictor of academic work," says Dean K. Whitla, associate director for admissions and former member of the board of trustees of the Educational Testing Service, the makers of the SAT