High School Career Is The Best Indicator For College Success Not Sat And Act Testing Scores

Throughout high school and college we will go through a vast amount of testing but why? Testing is used to show a person’s amount of knowledge on a particular subject. Usually it’s for one specific subject and not a majority of them, the standardized tests include all testable subjects as in English, math, science, writing, and reading. However, before we can all begin our college careers we have to take one of two tests, the ACT or the SAT. These two tests determine the college you get into, the amount of scholarships you will receive, and even whether or not your will be accepted into any college.

A lot of colleges and Universities believe the score of a student’s SAT and ACT will help them make better

How can it be that a student’s ACT score is more important than their GPA? Is it possible that a four-hour test can hold more weight than four years of high school grades? Would it not be great if students could get the same amount of money for a high GPA that they can get for a high ACT score? GPA can show hard work, strength, self-discipline, consistency, intelligence and personal accomplishments. Scholarships should not be awarded based primarily on ACT scores but on a student’s GPA. Scholarships should be awarded for keeping a high grade point average throughout high school. It is just as difficult or more to keep high grades throughout four years of high school as it is to go take four-hour test and achieve a high score.

Albert Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” I’ve seen this today, where students are these fish, and these standardized tests that we take are the judges at how well we climb up the tree.

“The sale of a whole range of screening, intelligence, readiness, and other tests generates in excess of $100 million in revenues in the U.S. (Meaghan and Casas 44)”. Companies that administer these tests like the ACT are making hundreds of millions of dollars to make these tests. These are large corporations that are making money from distributing the test and then once again making more money from grading it. Governments look into ways to save money with education so why don’t they focus on abolishing standardized tests and just focus on a student’s grade point average. A student’s high school transcript gives a college enough information for them to make their selection, doing this may take them longer to choose their potential students. However, the students that they do administer would be better represented because they would have that student’s record of the past four years. Showing how they did in certain classes and even what they struggled in.

For students to get accepted into most institutes, they must pass the admissions requirements that school has placed. Most likely having a decent SAT/ACT score and a good standing GPA is required, along with recommendations and sometimes an essay. However, should colleges really rely on standardized test scores to determine a student’s success in college? One single test should not determine how well a student would do in college or determine whether they should get accepted into that college. Instead, they should remove the requirement for SAT/ACT scores and rely on the student’s high school grade point average. Students build their GPA within four years, and that can determine their effort, focuses, and diligence, as stated by Jada Bah, “SAT/ACT Scores Alone Should Not Predict College Success.” A four-hour test should override a four-year grade.

Most top-tier universities use SAT and/or ACT test scores as an important factor when considering students for admissions. A perfect score is a great aid in helping an applicate standout in a highly competitive arena. Because the test scores are so important, many students begin preparation in the 8th or 9th grade and continue it throughout their high school years. Today, that prep is even more significant due to redesigned SAT, which many consider a harder test than its predecessor.

The College Board and ACT nonprofit organizations, known for developing and administering the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and American College Testing (ACT) assessment respectively, represents higher education’s widely accepted college readiness determinant for prospective students. These examinations empirically measure a student’s grasp of reading, writing, and mathematics – subjects taught every day in high school classrooms. As a result, they typically constitute a significant proportion of the total entrance requirements for prospective students to relevant institutions of higher learning and denote a serious endeavor unto itself. Students commonly take one or both of these examinations during their junior or senior year of high school as dictated by an institution’s administrative guidelines, although most colleges now allow either test as part of their proprietary admission formulas. And since it turns out there exists subtle differences in the tests themselves, students should review research concluding certain individuals may be better candidates for maximizing performance on one examination versus another.

By looking at the GPA of students, colleges would find evidence of self discipline over a four year time period. Which is what Sheffer says is most important. Sheffer also says "After that, I would say evidence that someone has interests that they have brought to a higher level, from a soccer goalie to a debater to a servant in a community to a linguist. We need to see evidence that the student can bring something to a high level of skill." Standardized test show what test taking skills people have, not what real skills they have. People should be accepted into colleges based on what they will bring to the college and what kind of student they will be. GPAs show a lot more about a student than the standardized tests do. GPAs show how much effort a student put into their high school careers and will reflect how they will do in college. It has been proven that students that had good grades and lower testing scores did better in college than those with high testing scores but lower grades. (Sheffer). Students with a higher GPA have a better work ethic than those who sat around in high school and got lucky with the ACT. Ramirez agrees that students who have good GPAs but low test scores usually do not receive merit aid or another form of scholarships. Students are pushing themselves to receive good grades, but are not being rewarded for their

In fact, the most prestigious colleges focus a lot on standardized tests. Princeton accepts a SAT score of 1405 out of 1600 while UT accepts a SAT score of 1259 out of 1600. Colleges will look at the results of your tests, and that’s how they choose between a different student and yourself. These tests will also prepare you for college with their standards and more after.

But for a lot of high school students, this definitely isn’t the case. If your child is looking to attend a competitive university, then her SAT/ACT score is more important than her GPA” (Patel, Shaan). So how is it fair that twelve years of going through school, matters less than three hours of your life. Some students work very hard to get above 3.5 and way higher grade point averages, and what matters more is just how well you do on one test. This also correlates to how much homework is given and how it is too much for some students.

It all started back in 1926 when the first SAT was administered to high school students. The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is a test dreaded by high school students, given to them spring of junior year. It’s goal is to academically test students to see if they would be a good fit in that certain college and play a role in admissions. “More and more schools have been finding that the SAT provides neither an accurate nor helpful view of its applicants (Flore) .” Over time it's becoming more accepted that the SAT doesn’t show the students ability. In the U.S. there are already 850 colleges that are SAT optional, meaning that they don't require test scores in admissions. Grade point average and AP tests showcase the students academic skill more. Colleges should get rid of the reliance on SAT scores in admissions.

Juniors, seniors, or any college applicants are required to take either the ACT or the SAT, and submit their score before getting accepted into some colleges or universities. Both the ACT and the SAT is standardized test that is designed to test student’s readiness for college. These test are taken before applying to college. Students or adults will go to other schools where either of these test are administered. They must apply on line to be able to take these tests. The ACT and SAT are not a good source for college admissions because of the scoring, students may not be prepared enough, and how accurate the test is.

Have you ever thought about what college you want to go to after high school? In order to get into that college, you must be accepted. Colleges look for a numerous amount of criteria in order for you to get accepted, and one of those things colleges look for is your standardized test score. The standardized test is a test administered and scored in a consistent, or “standard”, way (edglossary.org). Seeing that you must get a high enough score on the test in order for your dream college to accept you, the tests are difficult, but are very worth it at the end. Colleges have been accepting students into their school with standardized test scores for more than 50 years, and with that being said, it has seemed to work pretty well (content.time.com). In the end, standardized test scores show that you deserve to go to that college, and is also a way of showing that you’ve worked hard for so long to accomplish something huge.

An exam that measures test taking is not an accurate representation of how well a student will do in college. William Hiss, the former dean of admissions of Bates College said, “I, frankly, was surprised to find how reliable the high school GPA was. And I thought about it a lot. And I myself think that we are looking at two four-year-long demonstrations, high school and college, of self-discipline, curiosity, intellectual drive, if you will, the ability to get your homework done on time, get your papers written (Hiss 2).” There are many