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SAT Vs ACT Test Scores Essay

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1460. 1780. 2200. These numbers have more significance than an ordinary number. These numbers are what separate high school students by their knowledge and determine their future. They are the deciding factor on which students should receive acceptance into a particular school. Universities and colleges today analyze three things to determine whether or not a student should receive acceptance: their high school grade point average, SAT and/or ACT scores, and in most cases an essay. All three items are evaluated and then an admission decision is made. Two of the three topics discussed above truly shows an individual’s work ethic, but one shows nothing about a student’s ability to succeed in college, and that is the SAT and ACT test scores. These scores show nothing more than a student’s ability to sit in …show more content…

A recent study led by William Hiss, the former Dean of Admissions of Bates College, wanted to see the difference in academic performance during and after college with students that submitted their SAT and ACT scores versus students that did not. His study showed that there was not much difference between the two different types of students with data of “only .05 percent of a GPA point set “submitters” and “non-submitters” apart, and the difference in their graduation rates was just .6 percent” (Sheffer). This clearly shows that student’s grade point averages are the best way to determine that type of student. Also with this study, it concluded that, “If high school grades are not high, good testing does not promise college success. Students with good grades and modest testing did better in college than students with higher testing and lower high school grades” (Sheffer). Therefore, proving the SAT and ACT tests are useless. Hopefully these studies will become more prevalent in society and end these irrational SAT and ACT tests for

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In “A History Of The SAT In 4 Questions”, Cory Turner and Eric Westervelt write about the SAT and how it is changing. The authors discuss the new version of the SAT and how the College Board is going to change things. The Board “hopes the redesign will provide a more accurate measure of a student’s college and career readiness.” (Turner and Westervelt, A History Of The SAT). For example, Cyndie Schmeiser, the chief of assessment of the College Board, says that the new test “will include vocabulary, but within a reading passage.

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Over time, the SAT’s format has changed to better measure a student’s ability and potential. Excessive stress is put on students to do well on the SAT’s, and causes them unnecessary strain. As college admissions become more and more competitive, the need for higher test scores has increased, despite fatal flaws in the SAT test itself. Although the SAT is used by thousands of colleges and taken by millions of students, many students' scores do not reflect their true abilities, and therefore the SAT test is useless.

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In "Are Grades Really Necessary?" Catherine Rampell discusses elite prep schools' interest in terminating the traditional, letter-based grading system. She explains these schools' desire to support a less punitive scheme which displays "qualitative, soft-focus descriptions of skills that students have 'mastered.' " Rampell agrees that this desired system may make students more appealing to colleges; however, she believes that without displaying a student's GPA, the new language will prove insufficiently "informative." Therefore, I am in entire agreement with the author that students should be given letter grades to inform them of their respective strengths and weaknesses and to promote fairness in the school system.

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Although the College Board believes the SAT is a good predictor of academic success, this method of testing should be optional for students, as high school GPAs are better reflections on a student’s work ethics and future success in

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A students ACT and SAT score is just one portion of many college applications. Colleges and Universities look at GPA, an essay, and letter of recommendations to determine a student’s admission. Many people believe that the importance of the ACT or SAT score depends on the college and what other things the student has to offer (Drinkworth, 2015). The ACT and SAT tests can be an important factor in college admissions because they tests are on all subject areas, math, reading, writing, and science. Since each area is graded separately and the score is later averaged out it shows how the students does overall in the general

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Standardized Testing: Making College Admissions “Fair” Every year , the daunting prospect of undergoing standardized testing brings anxiety to thousands of high school students, and for good reason: a student’s performance on standardized college admission exams - most importantly, the ACT and SAT - is a major determinant in deciding where they will go to college. For decades, such standardized tests have been universally accepted as part of the admissions process: proponents argue, as Syverson (2007) explains, that such tests are the only way of standardizing college admissions when students from different schools have such widely varying profiles. However, in the past several decades a growing anti-testing movement has begun to poke holes

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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.

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Nowadays, SAT and ACT have affected students in good ways but bad for others that have disadvantages with the test affecting their chances to get into college. Although my point of view on the SAT and ACT differs from others, some have said that the SAT and ACT were beneficial. My opposition explains their belief that the SAT and ACT benefit the students and do not hurt them. Their counter argument includes how SAT and ACT

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They argue that the real issue lies with the fact that colleges rely too heavily on the SAT in admission decisions. Scores of studies have shown that the SAT and ACT are poor indicators of students’ future success in college. Despite this, many colleges will still use these tests to weed out students who scored low, students that they predict will perform poorly in college, regardless of their levels of achievement, academic or otherwise, outside of standardized testing. This results in high numbers of students of color, who traditionally score lower on standardized tests, getting left out of the admissions process - because they’re being predicted not to do

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Introduction Standardized tests may be used for a wide variety of educational purposes. For example, they may be used to determine a young child’s readiness for kindergarten, identify students who need special-education services or specialized academic support, place students in different academic programs or course levels, or award diplomas and other educational certificates. Thesis Statement Standardized tests should not be eliminated completely, but should rather be evaluated in addition to other factors such as grades, extracurricular activities, and volunteer hours. This would take pressure off of students during standardized tests, allow colleges to see how well-rounded the students are, and give students who are better in other areas

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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.

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A rising issue in today’s society is deciding whether or not college is worth the cost. There is an extreme amount of pressure that is forced upon high school students by parents, teachers, and peers to further their education and attend college. However, there is research that challenges the thought that college is the best possible path for a person to take. College may be a great investment for some people, but it is not meant for everyone. This is supported by the arguments that colleges are expensive, jobs do not always require a college degree, and students are forced to choose a lifestyle before being exposed to the real world.

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I believe one thing that differentiates me from others is my standardized test scores. Now, I am not hinting at the fact that my test scores are outstanding, because they are not. Usually when someone boasts about how good their test scores are the first thing that comes to mind is that this person must be really smart. On the other hand, if I am talking to someone about my test scores that might be lower they perceive me as not being as smart as other students. In addition, this is definitely not the case for every situation, but the way of thinking when it comes to standardized test scores often deal with the level of knowledge one might posses.

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Standardized testing has become one of the most popular types of testing in U.S. public schools to date. Students take numerous standardized tests throughout their childhood schooling. (Studies show that a typical student takes an average of 112 mandated standardized tests between Pre-K and 12th grade.) While standardized testing is one of the main procedures that Universities use to judge incoming students, it is not proven to be the most effective way to convey a student’s actual intelligence level. The U.S. should not focus so heavily on standardized testing because it is not a complete accurate measurement of a student’s intelligence.

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When colleges imagine the perfect applicant, their first thought is most likely a student who has earned straight A’s, is in the top of his or her class, with several extracurricular activities, and has held at least one leadership position. The person that meets all of these criteria may seem like a great choice for any university of their choice. However, there is one factor that separates this student from his or her dream of attending an Ivy League school- the American College Test. Better known as the ACT, this two hour and 55 minute long test, can potentially be the difference between a student attending the school they have been dreaming of, and going to their second or third choice universities. There are several reasons why the ACT in its current form should not be

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