“And now…you may begin”. Isn’t this saying really familiar? Nervous feeling permeates the air, and all students start to sweat. Why are they all here anyways? Well, if one replies back that he is here to get a good score and go to an Ivy League university, is it not obvious? Standardized testing, of course. Is this really necessary? In recent years, statistics has shown that not only is the test unproductive, but also wastes time. Can you honestly tell me that those tests are fair to everyone? Are they really objective and bias-free? Even though standardized tests are meant to be a tool to compare the test takers in an objective manner, they have been criticized based on numerous factors. For one, many standardized tests are criticized for
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I strongly believe the standardized tests should be abolished because they do not truly measure a person’s ability to do well in college.
The standardized tests are often criticized because of their subjectivity. These tests are products of a company named “College Board.” College Board has a monopoly in the standardized test market because in order to apply to decent colleges, students must take the SAT and AP exams. In 2006, this so-called “non-profit” organization had 582.9 million dollars in revenue. So, to raise revenue, would not any test maker change the rules so that students have to take it more than once? The standardized tests are simply a device for College Board to earn money. Even though many claim that these tests …show more content…
It is a psychological fact that many tend to be nervous before big tests, such as standardized tests. This definitely gives the students who are better at taking tests more advantage. There is a possibility that the smartest and the most diligent student could fail the exam due to pressure and stress. Do the low scores of this student tell the college administration officials that she or he is a bad student? One who does not study hard? How can standardized tests tell the ability of the students to work hard in colleges when other factors get in the way? It is very likely that the student may be anxious or fail to manage testing time wisely on the day of the exam. Let’s say there was a girl with GPA 4.0 for all four years, student council for four years, participated in many sports, and even has her own club. However, on the SAT exam day, her condition was extremely poor and she was under a lot of pressure because it was her last chance for SAT before applying to colleges. This brilliant girl gets lower than 2000 on her exam. Does this mean that she was a bad student who never studied hard in school? This clearly shows that the standardized tests are useless in determining the students’ knowledge and ability. They only determine who is able to solve problems in a stressful
I strongly believe the standardized tests should be abolished because they do not truly measure a person’s ability to do well in college.
The standardized tests are often criticized because of their subjectivity. These tests are products of a company named “College Board.” College Board has a monopoly in the standardized test market because in order to apply to decent colleges, students must take the SAT and AP exams. In 2006, this so-called “non-profit” organization had 582.9 million dollars in revenue. So, to raise revenue, would not any test maker change the rules so that students have to take it more than once? The standardized tests are simply a device for College Board to earn money. Even though many claim that these tests …show more content…
It is a psychological fact that many tend to be nervous before big tests, such as standardized tests. This definitely gives the students who are better at taking tests more advantage. There is a possibility that the smartest and the most diligent student could fail the exam due to pressure and stress. Do the low scores of this student tell the college administration officials that she or he is a bad student? One who does not study hard? How can standardized tests tell the ability of the students to work hard in colleges when other factors get in the way? It is very likely that the student may be anxious or fail to manage testing time wisely on the day of the exam. Let’s say there was a girl with GPA 4.0 for all four years, student council for four years, participated in many sports, and even has her own club. However, on the SAT exam day, her condition was extremely poor and she was under a lot of pressure because it was her last chance for SAT before applying to colleges. This brilliant girl gets lower than 2000 on her exam. Does this mean that she was a bad student who never studied hard in school? This clearly shows that the standardized tests are useless in determining the students’ knowledge and ability. They only determine who is able to solve problems in a stressful