By: Alexander Phan
The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), a mandatory pain disguised as a test we must all go through to further our education into college. For decades now, standardized test results have been crucial to the college application process. It is in no way a good idea to measure a student’s potential through a test consisting of only two subjects. These tests are a terrible way to measure how someone will perform at a university.
Imagine a student’s skills lies outside of traditional mathematics. Imagine a student suited for a particular college, but they’re a non English speaker. Math and English are the only subjects that The College Board deems worthwhile, so unfortunate students who lack in those subjects are doomed to fail before they begin. Students who feel as if their strongest subject is in a non-traditional area of intelligence won’t be able to get a chance to display their skills on the SAT exam. Simply put, the SAT does not make room for students with multiple intelligences,just students who know traditional math, reading, and writing. Universities who have a strong emphasis on SAT scores may fail to enroll capable and innovative students simply because they are not able to compete with other students on the SAT.
Of course, understanding math and English proficiently is a necessity for all college students, but it doesn’t mean we have to be forced to take a test that gauges us only on those subjects. If a student was having trouble with math or writing, almost all colleges have some form of math and English support. All the SAT tests for is how well a student can operate under limited time. The SAT’s unique way of testing means that any student who can not adapt and has a learning style that is incompatible are completely out of luck.
With everything we know from the college admissions scandal, it’s obvious that those who are born into a wealthy family has a drastically increased chance of getting a better score on standardized tests. Even without having to bribe SAT officials, students from well off families have the money to afford advantages such as SAT tutoring and SAT prep classes. This potentially causes students from low income families to earn lower scores, harming their chances to get into the colleges they want.
Forcing the SAT on students to apply for college is too much of a time commitment fort hem, especially on Juniors and Seniors who have to worry about much more. On top of the excessive amounts of time students spend studying for the SAT, they also have to take the four to five hour test on a weekend each time they take the SAT. This level of time commitment can draw a student’s focus away from other important things that actually matter to college applications and high school, such as homework, regular high school tests, and filling out college applications.
