However, Charles W. Hughes '92, a Harvard admissions officer who also spoke at the event, did try to dispel the perception that preparatory course give students a significant advantage.

"According to a study written about by [Associate Director of Admissions] Dean K. Whitla, Harvard students show an increase of only 11 points on their verbal scores and 16 points on their math scores after taking preparatory courses," Hughes said.

He added that courses offer what conscientious students would study on their own.

"Think about what the courses teach," he said. "Vocabulary, math skills--it's learning."

Hughes gave a more positive spin to Harvard's requirement of SAT scores.

"Harvard sees two edges that make testing have some merit," Hughes said. "One is that there is a correlation between very high SAT scores and one's likelihood for getting a magna or summa degree, and the other is that there is some evidence that the SAT is an indicator for how well students will do in their four years here."

According to Hughes, the SAT is useful in the admissions office's attempt to quantify the over 18,000 high school students who apply to Harvard every year. Grade point averages, because of grade inflation, are not always helpful tools, Hughes added. He said that many high schools do not even release class rank anymore.

"High schools are telling us less," Hughes said. "What else do we have to look at?"