SAT Testing Essay

This first reason that colleges should stop using the ACT/SAT is that some people are simply not skilled in taking standardized tests. Cecelia Simon confirms that “Some students really struggle with standardized testing, and their scores don’t reflect their abilities.” (Simon). As simple of a problem as this sounds, there are logical reasons behind poor test taking. One of the main reasons exists when test takers are busy and have other things on their minds causing them to become distracted. For example, if James has a chapter test in his precalculus class the day after he plans on taking the ACT, he is going to be distracted while taking his ACT. Since he was distracted, his score will not be accurate in relation to his

It also serves as a way for colleges to determine if a student is qualified to be admitted to the school. This test is a multiple-choice test that covers four areas: Math, Reading, English, and Science.

Einstein once said, “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Likewise, if a poor test-taker is judged by their SAT score, they could be forced to attend an inadequate institute of higher education. For decades, the SAT has been “the test” that makes or breaks a student's chances of getting into their top college. Generally, the privileged populace do well, but minorities and women do not come out as strong and are therefore limited to college choice. The SAT has proven to be an unsuitable, biased method for predicting success of students in college.

Although students may have enough time to prepare for the SAT/ACT, there are many distractions that could prevent the student from getting a good score. The SAT/ACT both require students to answer a load of questions in little time; the student would be more focused on trying to answer all questions rather than getting as many right as they can. One other distraction could be the student’s testing environment. The student may have

Imagine a test capable of making or breaking a student's chances of getting into his or her dream college. Imagine a test score that can be easily influenced, but only through thousands of dollars worth of coaching. Now imagine that same test but biased towards certain crowds of students while also being incapable of accurately predicting their futures. Is this the test you want for colleges to use in order to distinguish students? This is the SAT—famous for the unnecessary pressure it presents to students as well as the unfair disadvantages it presents to many others. Since these SAT scores are extremely artificial, SAT tests are not an accurate predictor for future success.

Currently, all colleges require either an ACT or SAT score for admission. With this rule, it limits who can attend a college and thins out many students who may have academic potential.

If this is true and GPA and school activity involvement are more important, then why is the SAT even considered? Brandon Busteed, an executive director of Gallup Education, ran a study including 2,586 superintendents around his area. According to his results, “...Only six percent of superintendents strongly agree that SAT and ACT scores are the best predictors of college success” (Brandon Busteed).  This shows that even educators feel that the SAT lacks a true purpose. How can any college determine a student's study habits, work ethic, or community involvement through a number? Jennifer Finney Boylan, a professor at Colby College, states, “The only way to measure students’ potential is to look at the complex portrait of their lives; what their schools are like; how they’ve done in their courses; what they’ve chosen to study; what progress they’ve made over time; how they’ve reacted to adversity” (Hambrick & Chabris). Although other factors are not ignored, including involvement and high school GPA, there is still immense pressure to do well on the SATs. Busteed states, “We’re not just overinvesting in standardized testing, we’re actually testing standardization. That is to say, most standardized tests are designed to have students come up with the same answers. We’re teaching them how to be similar, not different” (2015). This shows the negative effects that the SAT has on

Colleges and universities such as Iowa State need ways to evaluate applying students which really show their potential as college students. A three hour-long test cannot reveal many traits of successful students. Qualities like good study habits, a positive self-concept, the ability to set goals, and real world knowledge are not shown in a test like the SAT (Fairness). Another problem with the SAT is that today so many preparation methods exist; the tests aren’t really a true showing of what a student knows. There are many companies who claim their product can be that miracle teacher that boosts a student’s score and get them into the college of their dreams. Should colleges really be base this large decision on knowledge that can be just "picked up" in four short weeks or an entire twelve-year education?

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.

Thoughts about the ACT or SAT give most students sleepless nights. Well, it is an important test but getting overwhelmed by it is not going to help. These few fun facts about the ACT/SAT are just what you need when you are looking for a short, refreshing distraction from the intense studying. The ACT/SAT should be the main factor in college acceptance because it gives minorities an equal chance of admission, it provides a standard for all students of all high school backgrounds to achieve, and test you on the basic skills you need to know after leaving high school anyway.

Generally speaking, the SAT is a one-day test where students are forced to test in specific areas such as math, reading and writing in an allotted time period. An individual’s success cannot be measured by a snapshot of time. Many believe that time does not help reflect a student’s overall performance because there are multiple of variables that can happen throughout the time period and day to that individual. In addition, the SAT testing does not take into account other academic areas that a student may excel in. While a student’s GPA on their transcript can show administrators the student’s strengths and weakness since it reflects an accumulative of four years in high school, thus it is able to better represent a student’s academic

Standardized tests decide who gets into college nowadays. Standardized tests have more emphasis now then do GPA, class rank, and the students achievements. If Colleges were to get rid of this requirement, many more students would apply. Colleges should not put a lot of stock in standardized testing because it does not evaluate true knowledge, the tests cannot predict college readiness, and students with test anxiety will not perform at their best.

Keep in mind that high school students have a lot going on in their minds and something such as the SAT test can really be overwhelming. Students try their best to prepare themselves for months and months and then in the blink of an eye they are sitting down staring at a four hour test, trying to focus because it is so crucial to their future. Well, thoughts like this are what soar through kids minds’ in these moments, It happens oh so often, when kids show up to take their SAT test mentally exhausted because they could not get any sleep the night before. And then despite being exhausted before the test even begins, three hours into the test kids are almost brain dead at that point. But we have to deal with it because being only three hours in means we got a whole other hour of scratching our brains trying to gather ourselves mentally to finish the test. This brings up the question, how can a test that weighs so much on our future be given all in one day over the course of four long hours? Well, that is a good question; the simple answer is it shouldn’t be this way. Students should have the luxury of taking different sections of the tests on different days or at least have more than a five minute break in between every other section. By doing this, student will be able to regain their mental composure and not be totally mush brain by the time they are half way done the

The following category discusses the reliability and validity of the SAT. Firstly, the reliability measures the consistency and steadiness of the SAT scores and validity measures how the test is being consumed. The SAT is a reliable test for the reason that if an individual takes the SAT multiple times he or she would receive comparable or higher scores each time the test is given to the individual due to the culture of the test. The SAT is valid since the test is designed to measure an individual cognitive ability and the achievement of students. Research has proved that cognitive test validities are generalizable and predictive of academic performance (Shen, Sackett, Kuncel, Beatty, Rigdon & Kiger, 2012). The SAT shows that more selective

Supporters of the test may state it is a good base or “key” to use and gage a student when looking to gauge their academic skill level. Swing to the other side and it’s unsurprisingly easy to find the reasons to oppose the test. Reasons include that the test prevents some students from unlocking their full academic potential due to their lack of easily available resources. Lack of these resources could be due to financial situations or a person’s ethnic background. Studies show the SAT cannot predict a student’s performance in secondary school. These studies examine and exhibit to us (the viewer) that the SAT lacks in showing a student’s true qualities and work ethic. Segregating students based on a test prevents a student from possibly unlocking their full potential. Students judged by their SAT are not the only ones missing out on potential academic success, the future of America loses the chance to further educate the next generation of potential