Standardized Testing Argument Essay

When a student is applying for colleges his or her life can get very stressful. An important thing a student has to do when preparing to attend college is take a standardized test: the ACT or SAT. These tests will be used for admission, scholarships, and many organizations for colleges. Even though standardized tests seem like a great way to evaluate a student’s capabilities, these tests do not assess the student fairly. Many colleges will not accept a student into their school unless their score is at a certain level. The scores the school will accept are different depending on the rank of the college or university. The University of North Alabama will accept a student with a 16 ACT score or a 790 SAT score. (una.edu) The University of Alabama will begin accepting a student that has a 21 on their ACT and a 1000 on their 1000. (gobama.edu) Harvard University will only accept a student that has a 29 on his or her ACT or around a 2000 on …show more content…
(eCampusTours) Because these tests are multiple-choice, a student could fill in the answer sheet without reading a word and make better on the test than a student who has studied for months. (Kohn) Based on personal experience, as I have studied and taken these tests, many of the questions are written to trick the student and make them choose what seems to be the best answer. Many of the questions could be chosen because it is the only option that does not degrade any person or thing; this shows that the student would not even need to read the passage given. Also, many students cannot afford to get help on these tests, and teachers would have to teach the school’s curriculum and also how to take these standardized tests. To make a high score on these tests a student would have to think like the makers of the test, not like a high school