Standardized tests, like the SAT and ACT, attract the attention of thousands of high school students every year, the majority of them striving to achieve a good score, as they know it may increase their chance of getting into their dream college. However, as time goes on the debate on whether or not colleges should use standardized test scores for admission is becoming increasingly popular. Colleges should not use a student's standardized test score for admission for a few key reasons; standardized tests don't truly measure a student's intelligence, not every student excels at taking tests, and standardized tests are classist.
To start off, standardized testing should not be used for college admission because they are not a good way to show
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There is a clear relationship between a student's economic background and test scores. In addition to this, “Many well-resourced students have far greater access to test preparation, tutoring and taking the test multiple times, opportunities not afforded the less affluent”(ProCon) When a student comes from a higher economic background they are provided with privileges that other students may not have. Act prep, private tutors, etc. are just some examples of how wealth creates division in standardized testing. Although many students score well on these tests without the help of tutors or prep classes, having these extra opportunities is sure to help students score higher. In addition, research finds that “The children of the affluent score higher on average than those of lower income groups”(Finneran). When it comes to standardized tests, it is seen that they seem to favor those of higher classes, and It’s absurd for colleges to use standardized test scores when determining a student's admission when uncontrollable factors can make a major difference in how they score on the test. Although some may argue that certain standardized tests were originally created to give all students an equal chance at getting into college, due to the nature of today's world, the inclusivity the test strived to provide is gone. Consequently, standardized tests can no longer be seen as a way to give all students an equal chance, in fact, they only create more division. All in all, due to how unfair standardized tests can really be for students, colleges should not use these test scores to determine student