Admissions officers are not concerned with drops in the yield. Instead, officers said students that are eager and excited for college will be more likely to get the most out of the college experience.

The Numbers Game

Some of the pressure related to College acceptance rests on a student's performance on the SAT I exam. But the future of the SAT's role in the college admissions process is far from predictable, especially after a court decision this March.

A disabled man sued the Educational Testing Service (ETS) for their policy of flagging the results of untimed tests, blaming what he saw as discrimination for his rejection from graduate school. The suit was settled on the condition that ETS remove all flags from its graduate school score reports.

Since the SAT I is owned by the College Board and administered by ETS, the exam's score reports were not immediately affected by the settlement. Instead, the College Board was asked to form a panel to study the issue of flagged scores and untimed testing for the SAT.

Without the flags, admissions officers will have no way to determine the conditions under which exams were administered. Harvard admissions officials say the court decision threatens to undermine the validity of standardized testing.

Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitszimmons says he is concerned that students without disabilities would manipulate the unflagged score reports to better their performance on the exams.

"There are rumors of a cottage industry where students who do not have disabilities and have never received assistance before can receive extended time [after being classified as disabled]," Fitzsimmons says.

The panel has until next March to issue a recommendation. But everything from the panel's composition to its ultimate recommendation remains controversial.

The College Board is concerned that a decision will be made without adequate study. The panel's membership still has not been determined.

"The fact that a panel is not established is of some concern to me," says Wayne Camara, director research and development at the College Board. "We need to make an informed decision and it shouldn't have to happen in a short period."