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
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.
The SAT or ACT exam is not an accurate measure of a student's aptitude for college. Not all students can take the SAT or ACT and make a high enough score to get into the college they want to get into. “Teens across the U.S. are standing by their mailboxes, waiting anxiously for the envelopes that will seal their academic fate. It’s college admissions season and for many students a lot hinges on how well they performed in standardized testing.” Some students just can not perform well taking the SAT or ACT in an environment that they feel stressed in.
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.
Standardize test are not flawless instruments for precisely pinpointing what level of prior knowledge and learning a student has acquired without first considering other elements that may or may not be connected to what was cultivated. Information on admission test should correlate with educational experiences acquired from school and home; however, that is not always the case considering: (1) socioeconomic background ;( 2) overall mental and physical health ;( 3) sampling variability from other assessments; (4) unidentified error variance; and (5) motivation and drive. These are just some of the essential components require in order to proclaim the SAT and other forms of assessments as sole heir to the thrown of admissions in terms of validity, reliability and
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.
“Sometimes the most brilliant and intelligent minds do not shine in standardized tests because they do not have standardized minds.” This quotation by Diane Ravitch nearly perfectly describes the ludicrosity of modern standardized tests. Students may achieve elite grades, volunteer, and participate in a variety of extracurriculars throughout high school, but all of these elements may be for naught if their ACT or SAT score is deemed unsatisfactory. The college application process is demanding enough without the added burden of inessential and unfair standardized tests. The ACT and SAT may put unnecessary stress on high schoolers, because they are an unfair representation of intelligence and education and are a large element of the college admission process.
A measly number; that is what determines the future. This simple number dictates which colleges will consider accepting a student, therefore, if a lower than ideal number is the outcome of taking a standardized test, you in a sense, fail. With a perpetual amount stress surrounding the idea of achieving the best score on the ACT or SAT, it is no wonder these life-altering questionnaires are the source of negativity regarding schooling and student’s outlook concerning their impending future. Furthermore, the number associated with one’s apparent intelligence will never truly show what one is capable is due to the ambiguous questions and often implicit wording. The effects of standardized testing negatively impacts the mindset of students due to the thoughts of failure because the test
In high school students are required to take the SAT or ACT in their junior year and the scores are to pursue college applications and community service and projects before entering college that are required, in order to increase their maturity. Some of these measure are not valid predictors of college achievement but rather income in life and their chance to getting into college. The SAT, takes usually three hours to finish, plus a extra 50 if you do the essay. In part of the test’s scores historically have correlated with family income and financial aid to have that child go to college.
The SAT is a test that many students spend their high school years over studying for and stressing about. The Scholastic Aptitude Test has been used by colleges to determine how well a student will fit in with their specific course load. Students generally spend their spring’s and summer’s waiting for the test results to decide if they will need to retake this test. The SAT and the ACT (American College Testing) are tests that are obviously of great importance to not only the prospective colleges but the prospective students as well.
Some students excel in high school. They have outstanding grades and high GPAs, but simply cannot take standardized tests. Some may suffer from test anxiety, and when a college is looking at test scores they do not consider the fact that the child may have test anxiety. The ACT test does not accurately measure how well a student can perform in a college environment, nor does it give an accurate measurement of a student’s knowledge. All throughout, school teachers
“15 percent of American Colleges were using the SAT as an admission tool” (“The College Board”). In the 1950s-1960s an unbelievable growth occurred as the SAT became the standard. The Scholastic Assessment Test and Scholastic Aptitude Test, former names of the SAT; however, despite the different names they all were a tool for college admission offices. ACT Inc., created a trademarked college admission test, known as the ACT.
No matter the college one chooses to attend, a national standardized test is required for entrance into most universities. The two tests that are issued to high school students across the country are the SAT and the ACT. For many years, the SAT was considered the “gold standard test” (Lewin). However, in recent years, a stark change appears to be coming to the table. The ACT is being taken far more frequently than the SAT.
