The SAT has become biased towards wealthy families and those who have money readily available. Money determines success in many things in life unfortunately, wealth also has an effect on how well one scores on the SAT. The SAT was designed to indicate which students are able to retain more knowledge while making sure that everyone was on a level playing field. However, this idea of equality for all who take the test has now disappeared. All around the country, people are coming up with tips and tricks on how to score higher on the SAT.
In 1942, the SAT was used for all applicants. “In 1948, the SAT was becoming the basic college admission device for millions” (“A Brief History of the SAT”). 80% of schools still require a standardized test score for acceptance (Blaf). However, this percentage is going down and as it does colleges will rely more a grades, which are more precise calculations of
As students start their senior year of high school there are many changes in their life. This is the time of a student’s life when they decide what they want to do after they graduate high school. Students can decide to join the military, work, or continue their education at a college or university. For the students who continue their education they have many things to do before they finally get accepted. A common step they take is taking the The American College Test (ACT) and the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT).
SATS and ACTS have been used for numerous years as a way to gauge a student’s academic success while in college. Students have the choice which test they would prefer to take and most colleges do not prefer one test over the other. There are a few key differences between the SAT and ACT, which may make one test more suitable than the other for those taking the tests. Many studies have proven that the SAT and ACT are not the best judge of future success, and that colleges should focus their applications more on past grades and accomplishments to decide which students should be accepted to their university. SATs and ACTs are not an effective measure of college readiness and future academic success.
Throughout the college admission process, one indicator of admittance stands above all, the SAT. The SAT stands for the Scholastic Achievement Test, which serves as the standard of assessment for colleges throughout the United States. Known for its pervasiveness, the SAT provides a comparative standard for students’ abilities. Although the SAT provides such a benefit, the SAT unexpectedly poses as a problem for college admission officers throughout the nation due to its inherent negative aspects, which stir a controversy among the nation. The question arises, should we keep using the SAT for admitting students into college?
The first attempt and success to climb Mt. Everest occured in 1953. Since then, almost 4,000 people have been able to scale the mountain, but over 230 people have not been able to climb it successfully. There is a chance of accident or death when climbing this mountain or any dangerous activity. All people should should have the right to rescue services even if they knowingly put themselves at risk because there is always a chance of an accident happening, rangers are there to save people in danger, and there are rescue vehicles being produced to be used in case of an emergency.
Standardized tests are very common in today’s modern society. They are used as a tool to measure a person’s performance and indicate how their estimated performance will be in a college class. Every year hundreds of students take the ACT or SAT in order to get accepted into their college of choice and to receive scholarships, but they fail to see the problems with these standardized tests. As more and more people take these tests, the national average score falls causing doubt in the extremely important system. This is leading people to question whether or not the ACT and SATs are accomplishing what they were created to do.
The SAT’s are not a structurally sound assessment to be used for college admissions. In Kohn’s piece he states, “Standardized tests tend to measure the temporary acquisition of facts and skills, including the skill of test taking itself, more than genuine understanding” (Kohn 601). The standardized tests that are supposed to measure intelligence, actually measure a student’s ability to take a test. Everybody has a different level of intellect, especially in many
There are around 850 colleges in the United States that are test optional (Sheffer). Meaning you do not have to take the ACT or SAT to apply to these schools, and this trend is slowly growing. So, should the ACT or SAT be required for any college? It should not, as there are many reasons students may not do well on standardized or timed tests. This can cause very intelligent people to be rejected from colleges just because their test scores are not the best, even if their grade point average and history in high school was immaculate.
As high school students we are all strongly advised to take at least one national standardized test of the two main options, either American College Testing (ACT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The state of Colorado recently transitioned to administering the SAT test to their population of high school juniors. Students, across the nation, are often given the blanket description of the standard test. Because of this, our high school populations are not educated on how the test is graded which is important for purposes of studying and understanding our grade. While most students know of the test very few actually understand the test itself.
Aptitude is defined as readiness and quickness in learning, or, general intelligence. Colleges have attempted to measure aptitude, in order to be more selective in the pool of students that apply, through various means, such as Grade Point Average, or Standardized Tests. The two main tests for aptitude in the United States are the ACT, and the SAT. Although the tests have been used for decades, the SAT in particular has been the subject of heated debate over the validity, reliability, and overall honesty of its ability to measure aptitude. The fact is, the SAT is a fundamentally unfair system, as the test significantly lowers the chances of high-quality students being admitted into a college; in actuality, it rewards basic knowledge of many subjects, rather than an actual understanding of the area of study a student will major in, which, in turn, results in racial and socioeconomic disadvantages, through differential scores and cost of the test.
These SAT are important to the college wants everyone to get in college to get the carer they want. Although the new revisions, the College Board aims to strip many of the tricks out of a test that make it hard, it will make it somewhat easier. Now the test it is taken by more than 1.5 million students in each year in The United States. Most kids have the chance to take the SAT or ACT testing but only two more times, which the parents would have to pay a fee. If you retake it each test is changed with no same
Colleges should not use standardized testing scores as a factor in college admission, due to their questionable validity and the debate on whether or not a single nationwide test should determine a student's future. SAT scores are one of the main factors that drive admissions decisions. To predict the successfulness or likelihood of a college student's retention it does not require the skills used to take the SATs (www.eduventures.com). An SAT does not have the ability to demonstrate a
In comparison to the 21st century, the SAT and ACT are just a small sampling of the tests most students will be faced with before entering college or even graduating from high school. There are SAT II examinations measuring an individual subject and four-hour long AP tests given for college credit. There even exist pre-tests before the real tests. The PSAT is offered and taken by many students during their junior year in preparation for the actual SAT - and this is only high school. Currently, most states mandate yearly evaluation testing for every grade with some form of regulated assessment used in grades K-12.
The SAT and ACT have come under scrutiny for unreliability when it comes to college preparedness. Even though there is support for the test and its ability to predict a student’s first year performance, studies from a number of other sources have found negatives that come along with these tests. From elitism to inhibiting brilliant minds, evidence shows that these two tests are more trouble than they are worth. Colleges are even beginning to react to the negatives involved with the tests. With these negatives becoming more apparent, many colleges have adopted a test optional approach, instead of basing acceptance off of test scores.
