950. 1100. 1420. Yes, these are just only numbers, but are they really? People have gotten anxiety by hearing or seeing a number so little, yet it can have a tremendous impact on one’s “future” as one has been told. Those are numbers that one can get on the Standardized Assessment Test the nation gives out to teens to see if they are “college ready”, called more notably the famous or infamous SAT. Taken on select Saturdays, some teens prepare themselves by buying books, watching videos, going to private tutors or just going for it the day of. Either way, are these tests even effective? Or better yet should they even be a determining factor for universities to look at? I propose to eliminate the test entirely, abolish it moreover.
Unnecessary stress is the outcome of this gruesome test that supposedly determines one’s intelligence. Worrying about the test for maybe months in advance for only a 4 hour exam is basically obnoxious and absurd that teens go through, because not everyone is a superb test taker. I personally have taken this required test and to be completely honest, I did not really familiarize myself with the test. I only took the PSAT once my freshmen year and ended taking the exam at the end of my Junior year. I later received my results to only find out I got a placid 1020. I was taken aback since I compared my GPA to my SAT score and by the looks of it I should have made a better SAT score since my grades in school were pretty high. Nonetheless, I was defeated and I decided to not sit through another teeth wrenching experience like that again. Filled with so much anger, I decided not to even bother taking the ACT since it is not like my scores and experience would be any better with the ACT…
Summer approached and soon colleges started opening up their applications for the fall. With an optimistic outlook, I decided to apply to a few colleges with my high GPA and low SAT score to see which ones would accept my qualifications. Move forward to the present I’ve applied to seven colleges and heard back from four, and those four have already accepted me to their school in less than two months. My ego has come back to giddiness knowing that with my work ethic I shall be successful and I should not let a test determine that for me. Colleges and Universities should only look at one’s high school grades, course selection, extracurricular activities and an individual as a whole person, not just a student. College should be open to everyone of all backgrounds not everyone of tests backgrounds. I say the U.S. should adopt socialism. The government should be more involved to promote the necessary justice and the reduction of the economic and social inequality issue. What I like to call a “democratic socialist nation.” Supporting of course free markets and private enterprise but however the government ensuring more equality of opportunity for citizens as in free public college taking into account people’s age, gender, income, and educational values.
Factors such as race and ethnicity, gender, income, education, age, and religion not only affect individuals’ perception of the test, but it lures students away. It definitely made me think twice if I am as smart as I thought I perceived to be. Many colleges present a certain score that one has to receive in order to even be evaluated is down right frustrating and can cause psychological problems in teens.
Others might say, that standardized tests are essential to demonstrate “college readiness” because having a high GPA and SAT score can assure a successful college life. Explain how a teen that never does their homework in high school and scoring high on the SAT expect that teen to be successful in the future when they do not even put in the effort to do their work at school? Matter of factly, most teens readily admit they guess on the SAT and ACT. Overall, the test measures what a teen should have learned not what a teen can accomplish or learn.
The point is, college admissions should worry less about an entrance exam and focus more on someones age, gender, field of study, and overall number of extracurricular commitments and so on. Tests do not prove anything. Does one know who makes those tests? And does those people take into account people’s unique differences in terms of talent, commitment, and skill?
