Junior Allison Hilliard would not take the SAT if it were not needed for getting into college. However, Hilliard is philosophical about the test.

“I think positive when I hear about the SAT because you have to take it to get into college and college is positive,” she said.

Here is one question that has been in the back of students’ minds for a long time: How important is the SAT to colleges?

Here is the answer, courtesy of three local institutions: The SAT is measured the same as high school GPA, extracurricular activities and the application essay.

In telephone interviews, employees from three local college admission offices explained what the SAT means to the application process.

To the Florida A&M University admissions office, the SAT is “very important.” However, FAMU will accept someone with low SAT scores and a high GPA with lots of extracurricular activities, on what is called a “sliding scale.”

For Tallahassee Community College, the SAT does not matter at all. Under an “open admissions policy,” TCC will accept anyone with a GED or high school diploma.

To the Florida State University admissions office, the SAT is only a part of the whole. FSU also looks at students’ academic schedules, their weighted GPAs and their high school activities.

FSU is one of the universities to which senior Levon Hoomes plans to apply. Hoomes has no problem with the SAT as a requirement for college. “It gives you a chance to look good in front of colleges – like AP classes,” he said.

Guidance counselor Teri Gimbel and AP coordinator Debbie Shepard both said that the SAT is only a step on the ladder of the college application process.

“The SAT is a necessary part but only one piece,” Gimbel said. “Scores alone do not admit a student.”

Gimbel said that she can recall many stories about students who received perfect scores on the SAT but were not accepted into their dream school.

Shepard said the SAT is a good part of the application process but should not be the only part.

“The test is not the deciding factor,” she said. “They are looking at every piece.”

Senior Yangguang OU, who has taken the SAT once, understands Shepard’s point.

“The SAT is not a good way to rank students because some people stink at multiple-choice but they are good in school,” she said.

One problem with GPAs is that two teachers from the same school can teach the same course, but the students receive completely different grades. Shepard explained that the standardized test is needed to measure students across the entire country using the same criteria. The test is essentially a measurement of how well students will do their freshman year in college.

Shepard is especially pleased with the new writing component. From the essay, colleges can get a better idea of who the student is.

“Writing on demand is a snapshot into students’ abilities,” Shepard said.

The SAT consists of three main sections: Critical Reading, Math and Writing. Each section is worth 800 points, making 2400 the top score. There are eight different sub-tests altogether consisting of three math, three critical reading and two writing.

The entire test takes about four hours including two or three five-minute breaks and any delays. A majority of the test is multiple-choice except for an essay in the writing section and a few fill-in-the-blank questions in the math section. Also, every wrong answer costs one-fourth of a point.

Upcoming dates for the SAT include Nov. 4 and Dec. 2.