Imagine: you’re sitting in a freezing high school gym. Around you, students sit in silence taking an exam supposed to test their knowledge on everything they’ve learned. Your heart races as you consider the implications that come with submitting these exams. Your mind wanders as you start to question if math is truly worth your time and effort. This scenario is one that students across the nation are regularly expected to endure. 

In the U.S., almost every student will have to take at least one standardized test during their academic career. From elementary school on, students are tested on their knowledge of certain subjects. And whether it be math, English, or science, your scores often determines their education.

For years, we have been told about how important it is to do well on tests like the SAT or ACT because your overall score can affect what colleges might admit you. But how useful are these tests when it comes to accurately assessing  intelligence? And do standardized tests truly determine a student’s potential for success?

According to the Princeton Review, “the purpose of the SAT is to measure a high school student’s readiness for college, and provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants.” Readiness for college? If a student does poorly on the SAT, does that mean that they are not prepared for college? Most of the time, the SAT asks about the theme of a fictional book or an author’s use of rhetorical devices. If a student loses points on the SAT reading section, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t ready to major in biology in college.

Tests like the SAT are not a good way to determine a student’s intelligence. When you study for the SAT, the most common thing a tutor will teach you is how to outsmart the exam. For example, they tell you about the 10 different types of questions you might see in the test’s reading section. In the writing section, they say that when given two grammatically correct answers, students should pick the most concise one. The goal is not to assess one’s readiness for college, but to notice patterns in these tests and exploit them. 

Not to mention the privilege that surrounds exams like the SAT and the ACT. According to one study done by Student Aid Policy Analysis, researchers found that students from the lowest-income families scored an average of 968 points out of 1600 while students from middle-class families scored an average of 1091 points. Wealthier students have a clear advantage when taking these exams. 

As a student in the American school system, I have had my share of standardized tests. Every time I take one of these tests I feel an overwhelming sense of pressure. I know that I understand the topics—if I was given a regular assignment or a check for understanding, I would get a decent grade. But the reality is that I am just not a good test taker. When I hear the word “exam” or “test”, something in my brain makes me overthink every answer I pick. This leads me to get a low test score and to question my knowledge on the given subject. Exam anxiety is very real and it can be harmful to students’ futures, especially considering the heavy emphasis we place on standardized testing. 

Overall, standardized testing does more harm than good. As a society, we should move away from these exams and recognize that ultimately, they do not help students. •