Standardized testing has shown that a student does not actually need to understand the information in class, he just needs to memorize it for the test. “Rather than providing the opportunity for students to demonstrate a higher level of reasoning ability, or carry out any form of extended analysis, standardized tests stress a more superficial level of reasoning, and are most typically extensive exercises in short term memory” (“Standardized Testing”). Most colleges require a minimum grade on standardized tests such as the ACT and/or SAT in order for a student to be accepted. Knowing this, students spend much of their time memorizing and studying to make a good grade so that they can get into the school they want. Although it is overused to measure the ability of students, standardized testing does not accurately portray how much a student knows because it creates test anxiety, stress, and an inclination to cheat under pressure. …show more content…
“One widely accepted definition of test-anxiety is ‘an unpleasant feeling or emotional state that has both physiological and behavioral components and that is experienced in formal testing or other evaluative situations’” (McCleaster 16). Test anxiety is a real disability and needs to be treated more seriously in the education system. Research shows that test anxiety has related back to an increase in testing (Fulton 4). A great amount of standardized testing is given to students and it leads to cramming in the information; which will likely cause them to forget everything they attempted to memorize when the time comes to take the test. This can lead to students getting nervous and with so many students affected by test anxiety, it is unfair for schools to assume that standardized testing reflects a person’s