November 5, 1999

Why Can't We Stop Talking About the SAT?

By CLIFFORD ADELMAN

It's been quite a year for a test that we have all known for decades as the SAT. From talk shows to op-ed pages to the covers of Newsweek and The New Republic, those three letters have been too much with us. In public communication, the word "SAT" is now shorthand for all standardized testing. Irrespective of the nature, purposes, virtues, and limitations of the test itself, our unconscious and habitual use of the shorthand has created a symbolic monster. There are

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