[RUME] Verbal SAT better than Math SAT for research?

[David Smith]

Anecdotal evidence:  A long time ago, I served a term as Director of 
Graduate Studies in the Duke Mathematics Department.  (I think this was 
after Charles was one of our students, but maybe not long after.)  The 
conventional wisdom at the time was that verbal GRE (not SAT) was a 
better predictor of success in the PhD program than math GRE -- and we 
used that in making admissions decisions.  The problem with math GRE was 
that it reflected the courses a student had taken as an undergraduate -- 
information we already had in greater detail on the transcript -- 
whereas the verbal GRE apparently gave us greater insight into whatever 
the skills are that makes one successful in mathematical research.  At 
the time, the PhD thesis was usually the student's very first attempt at 
research -- that's probably less true now because of the proliferation 
of REU programs.

I'm not aware that anyone ever attempted to document this conventional 
wisdom, but I certainly wasn't the only one who believed it.

       David

Ronald Ward wrote:

>I read that, as well.  But it applied only to girls and was not concerned with predicting success in mathematical research but rather success in college math classes, if I remember correctly.   If I look through the right box I can probably still find it buried somewhere!  :)
> 
>Ron Ward
>Western Washington University
>
>________________________________
>
>From: Rume-bounces at betterfilecabinet.com on behalf of Charles Wells
>Sent: Mon 2/27/2006 6:39 PM
>To: Rume at betterfilecabinet.com
>Subject: [RUME] Verbal SAT better than Math SAT for research?
>
>
>
>Some time in the 1990's I remember reading a report that said that a
>high SAT verbal score was a better predictor of success in
>mathematical research than the math score was.   I would appreciate
>knowing where I could find out about this (or if I am dreaming).
>
>Charles Wells
>
>
>professional website: http://www.cwru.edu/artsci/math/wells/home.html
>personal website: http://www.abstractmath.org/Personal/index.html
>genealogical website:
>http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/w/e/l/Charles-Wells/
>NE Ohio Sacred Harp website: http://www.abstractmath.org/fasola/index.html
>


-- 
David A. Smith
   www.math.duke.edu/~das
   das at math.duke.edu
Editor Emeritus, Journal of Online Mathematics and its Applications
   www.joma.org
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