The Pros And Cons Of ACT And SAT

Anyone who has ever taken the ACT or the SAT knows how stressful and difficult the tests are. Students are forever judged because of the scores the receive by colleges and peers. The ACT/SAT are standardized tests that are meant to calculate what students have learned in previous years of high school. Colleges then use this score to determine whether a student will succeed in college. Specific problems with this process include the fact that high schoolers are extremely busy and may have other things on their minds, the tests require brutal test prep, the test can cause stress and anxiety, and the tests do not accurately gage a student’s college success. For these main reasons, students should not be required to take the ACT/SAT to get into college.

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.

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.

The ACT and SAT were created to accurately measure the knowledge of our children and make sure they are prepared for college, yet often times it seems to have the opposite effect. Due to the tests, some students are deciding not to go to college just to avoid paying so much money when they do not think they can do well in college courses. Even if students do decide to go to college, they may avoid taking classes with large tests due to test phobia developed from the ACT or SAT (Paul 42). Seeing such low scores in certain subjects can lower a student’s confidence and willingness to take those classes in college. By not taking certain classes, a student is limiting what major they can complete which will lowering their career options (Paul 42). We can’t let this happen to our students! We can’t let one stupid test destroy the careers and futures of hundreds of teenagers. The long term effects of the trauma created by the ACT and SAT are detrimental to today’s students.

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.

Not only does standardized testing limit students from attending the college of their dreams, it also puts a large amount of stress on students and teachers and the test do not test for necessary skills needed in the real world. With this current system, students are limited to what schools they can get into. By only allowing students with a certain score into a school, this makes it unequal to all students. This then does not allow students that have potential in classes at that college to truly be happy at the college they end up in. The test seems to determine an individual’s potential by their ability to retain information they learned in years past. Not every career will require in depth knowledge of algebraic formulas or scientific methods taught in school, therefore, to require students to test high on the ACT or SAT when the career they want to pursue may not require certain knowledge that is tested seems illogical. By making standardized tests less important in determining college admission, all students would have equal opportunity to attend the college they want.

Clearly each writer, and/or speaker can agree college needs to be more about the students. Students need to be able to afford education as well as trust in the system to give them their money’s worth. I believe, while liberal arts is heavily promoted in our readings, the idea of educating people on what they love rather than what the world deems important is the best solution. College should be about stretching the mind, as stated by multiple authors, and it should be a rich experience. Not rich as in monetary value, but rich as in content-heavy. The generalized point being made by each of these individuals, and the point I relate most clearly with, is colleges need to re-prioritize the content they are putting out as well as how they are doing

I think if colleges lower their requirements, standards and prices I believe that a lot more percentage of students and families would be in college right now. I don’t understand why it cost so much just to get a piece of paper with your name on it after 6 years. I believe everyone deserves a chance to go to college, some students can’t because they can’t afford it, and so they start working right after high school. I’m happy they made a community college, a cheaper college for adults and students to get their basics done. But, I fell more labeled going to community college. Why is it that we go to community colleges but universities teach the same thing, and you’re both studying for a degree? A quote by Connor McGregor, “There’s no talent

Colleges use the ACT and SAT tests to predict how students will perform in college and also to decide whether they can get into the college and receive scholarships. There is controversy on whether gpa and more essays is a better way to decide scholarships and admissions. I believe the ACT and SAT are not the best way to predict how smart a student is or how well they will do in college and they should not be used for admissions and scholarships. A few reasons come to mind when making this decision. Before anything I will explain what the ACT and SAT are, then why the ACT and SAT are biased, why gpa is a better way to predict first year college performance, results that colleges are getting from removing test scores from admissions, and why teaching students how to test is taking away from their actual learning.

A decreased emphasis on standardized testing, including SAT and ACT exams: Arguably the most stressful aspect of the admissions process for students and their parents alike, the report recommends that admissions offices “should work to relieve undue pressure associated with admission tests,” including making standardized testing optional and “discouraging students from taking an admissions test more than twice.”

When asked why institutions rely on test scores from the SAT or ACT as a part of the admission process, they provide two answers (The ACT). First, the exams provide a common measuring tool when evaluating students. However, the exams do not show skills and character traits that are key to success, such as creativity, collaboration, and self-discipline. Moreover, the four sections tested on the ACT may not be applicable for a student’s higher education aspirations or career goals; for example, a lawyer will most likely never have to use trigonometry. Secondly, due to the high variance of the quality of secondary education, individuals argue the extreme difficulty it is for admission officers to judge the level or rigor of high school curriculum by examining a student’s transcript (The ACT). Though GPA is not a standard measure across schools, admission officers can understand how to value a GPA from a certain school because they have access to annual school reports about class size, GPA distribution, courses offered, etc. (Page). Therefore, a lack of standardized testing scores would not leave admission officers with insufficient information about the

There are plenty of differences between SAT and the ACT. One difference is that you can score higher on the SAT because it has a higher grading scale. Next, the ACT is more straightforward but has a lower grading scale. Also, the SAT has a stronger focus on vocabulary more than the ACT. Lastly, the SAT is broken up into more sections and is more spaced out. There are so many differences between SAT and ACT these are just a couple of them.

Does it seem fair to judge students on a test that cannot be studied for? Every year students are forced to take the dreaded SAT test to strengthen their college resume`. Those who do well stand out to colleges, but those with average or below average scores have a tougher time getting accepted by colleges. Doing bad on an SAT test can be so demoralizing for a person especially if they are hard-working. One may not realize it at first, but this test is very significant to our futures. It determines what college we want to get into, the type of education we will get, and how our resume` will look for jobs in the future; it is all a domino effect. This is why it is unfair for colleges to base the bulk of their acceptance rate

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.

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