Standardized tests don’t determine your capabilities

Gabrielle Garcia / Staff Writer

What was intended to provide universities with a universal way of identifying whether a prospective student was prepared for college level course work has become public enemy number one. With an overwhelming record of complaints, students have simply had enough.  Why should their admission come down to the mere fact of a number?  

Who is to say that a four and a half hour examination can accurately determine a student’s preparedness for college? What if a student is sick, or is overwhelmed with nerves and can’t seem to come to a reasonable answer? A timed essay cannot accurately determine a student’s ability to write. It is not fair to expect a student to write a lavish and well-thought essay under such scrutiny and stressful circumstances.

These examinations are too far fetched and do not accurately measure a student’s capability to succeed; rather, the exams connote a “rite of passage” to college and perpetuate a realm of angst and inferiority.

Over the last few years, universities nationwide have made the significant decision to make standardized testing scores an optional portion of the application process. However, many universities still require students to submit their scores. Therefore, a phenomenon of stress and anxiety experienced when preparing and taking these exams is still very prevalent.

As significant changes have been made to the exam, there has been an increasing demand for test preparedness—tutoring. This in itself is ironic because the initial purpose of these examinations was to test students on the knowledge that they have accumulated throughout their four years of their high-school education.

In recent years, families have not only invested in their children’s education and their college applications but they are also investing in severe test preparation due to the expectations of not only the exam itself but the universities who base their acceptances on such exams.

Not only are students bombarded with tedious and abstract concepts paired with strict time constraints, but they are also stricken with pressure to perform according to perpetuated standards. Some students may have the stability to endure and perform sufficiently under such stress, but the reality of the matter is that the majority of students who sit to take these examinations may not perform sufficiently under such constraining conditions and do not deserve to be penalized.

It is unfortunate that constructive and well-intended ideas have surfaced other troubling dynamics. However, adjustments have been made and I hope they continue to be made. Although standardized tests give universities a backbone to their tedious and lengthy admissions processes, there must be room for compromise. A student is more than what they bubble in on a scantron.

Each student is unique with their own identity, their own mindset and their own thought process which cannot be measured, or even conceptually understood, by standardized examinations. Once universities and test makers grant themselves the opportunity to hear students internal voices, change will be made.

[Photo from Flickr]