Dec. 10, 2002
South Bend, Indiana: Standardized tests a waste of time
By Steve Lotter of John Adams High School in South Bend, Indiana
Picture this: your best friend comes up to you one day and reminds you that one of the biggest days of your life is coming up, the SAT test day. You break into a cold sweat, rushing around the house, trying to gather all the study materials you can find. Instead you only end up finding a throbbing headache and a hatred for all things SAT. Now picture this: the SATs. . . no more. Whoa, whoa, whoa relax. Keep breathing. It's not official yet, but if it were up to the Students Against Testing (SAT), it would be. The same goes for the SAT IIs and the ACTs. In fact, this idea of abolishing standardized testing is the entire premise for the website www.nomoretests.com.
According to the site, it's all a waste of time and talent. That's right. No offense to all you SAT buffs out there, but all those hours you have been slaving away, studying for what you think will either make or break your future were not necessary. Most universities and colleges look for that score. But, in fact, a lot of colleges make the score optional, including such Indiana schools as Indiana State University, University of Southern Indiana, and Calumet College. Does a good SAT score really make you smarter or more creative than someone with an average score?
The answer is simply no. The SAT is about as empty-headed as its own name, which has no real meaning since the ETS and College Board became uneasy about defining just what the test measures. To base college acceptance on a simple number is insane. The fact is that an SAT score will never be as accurate as your high school grades are. It's the inaccuracy of the SAT that proves to be its greatest downfall. Research from the site shows that because of the SATs' subtle simplicity, females have been shown to receive lower scores than most males. According to the research, this is because girls' thinking tends to be more complex than boys'. This is one of the many reasons as to why most colleges in fact make the SAT optional and do not base admittance solely on the score.
So why the idea to abolish the SAT and all standardized tests? It could be the fact that all standardized testing does is take away from precious class time wasted with various SAT prep activities. Whatever the reason, one must realize that the SATs will not make or break your post-high school career and are not the only way to be accepted into a good college.
Picture this: your best friend comes up to you one day and reminds you that one of the biggest days of your life is coming up, the SAT test day. You break into a cold sweat, rushing around the house, trying to gather all the study materials you can find. Instead you only end up finding a throbbing headache and a hatred for all things SAT. Now picture this: the SATs. . . no more. Whoa, whoa, whoa relax. Keep breathing. It's not official yet, but if it were up to the Students Against Testing (SAT), it would be. The same goes for the SAT IIs and the ACTs. In fact, this idea of abolishing standardized testing is the entire premise for the website www.nomoretests.com.
According to the site, it's all a waste of time and talent. That's right. No offense to all you SAT buffs out there, but all those hours you have been slaving away, studying for what you think will either make or break your future were not necessary. Most universities and colleges look for that score. But, in fact, a lot of colleges make the score optional, including such Indiana schools as Indiana State University, University of Southern Indiana, and Calumet College. Does a good SAT score really make you smarter or more creative than someone with an average score?
The answer is simply no. The SAT is about as empty-headed as its own name, which has no real meaning since the ETS and College Board became uneasy about defining just what the test measures. To base college acceptance on a simple number is insane. The fact is that an SAT score will never be as accurate as your high school grades are. It's the inaccuracy of the SAT that proves to be its greatest downfall. Research from the site shows that because of the SATs' subtle simplicity, females have been shown to receive lower scores than most males. According to the research, this is because girls' thinking tends to be more complex than boys'. This is one of the many reasons as to why most colleges in fact make the SAT optional and do not base admittance solely on the score.
So why the idea to abolish the SAT and all standardized tests? It could be the fact that all standardized testing does is take away from precious class time wasted with various SAT prep activities. Whatever the reason, one must realize that the SATs will not make or break your post-high school career and are not the only way to be accepted into a good college.
Discuss this Article
Well... DUH. Anyone can tell you that. You don't have to have a great SAT score. Fine. But if you're foolish enough to place such a great emphasis on it, then that's bad enough. Take a few practice tests, memorize vocab words, and you're done. Don't go around shelling out thousands of dollars for a useless tutor... there's no point. My only wish is that students these days would focus on being good all-around, and focus on really gettig a good education, rather than inflating their resumes and trying to look good.
--No one claims that it does; the SAT is only supposed to be an indicator of academic preparedness for college, nothing more.
I think the problem with standardized tests is that they totally screw people who have artistic talent...that's equally important, but cannot be measured by a test.
Thanks
David
S.A.T. These are the 3 letters a teen never stops hearing the minute they enter highschool.your teachers are always saying things like "This will help you prepare for the SAT" or "This will be on the SAT" and your parents are already enrolling you for Kaplan. Who in the world likes SATs. No one I know. Why do we take SATs? Most people I know take them to go to college and not just for fun. Well for those of you who don’t know, the real purpose in taking the SAT is to help predict your freshman year college grades. I believe SATs are a waste of time. 1st of all, the SATs do not predict your freshmen year college grades. For example, my sister did horrible on her SAT. She got like a 900 on her SAT, but she’s doing great in college. George W. Bush, our president, scored a 1206 on his SAT, but graduated from college with a D+ C-average. So the SAT obviously does not predict you college grades. Another reason the SATs are a waste of time, is that it is not an accurate test of intelligence.For those of you who have taken Biology, you should have learned about Howard Gardner. According to Howard Gardner, there are 8 different intelligences: Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Musical, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Spacial, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Naturalist. The SAT tests you on only 2 out of the 8 intelligences. Linguistic and Logical Mathematical. What if you want to major in music or be a Marine Biologist? The SAT does not test you in music or science. Or what is you want to be a doctor? there is nothing about your body or diseases on the SAT so there is no point in taking the SAT to go to college.If we took out the SAT, more students would apply to colleges and the colleges would make more money because of all the student that go to their school. Who knows? Maybe there will be a day where SATs dont exist, but until then Study hard.