It seems strange that students go to high school for four years, five days a week, to prepare for college, but one test score on one day can make or break your academic path. In order to get into a college, students are required to take either the ACT or SAT. Personally, I think they should not for many reasons.  Students should have the option to take a standardized test. They should not be required.

For some students, standardized testing is beneficial if their grades aren’t as strong.  Although, for many students, standardized tests are an added stress to the application process. For example, students have to spend months preparing for the test, which is distracting from their other schoolwork.  There are only a few dates that the ACT or SAT can be taken, so if you miss the test due to an emergency, students have to wait until the next test comes around. Also, many students get test anxiety and don’t perform as well under pressure, so they get lower scores even though they may have great grades. The tests themselves also cost $60, so retaking them multiple times can become very costly. Students with learning challenges are at a disadvantage because they have to process a great deal of information in the short amount of time given. Some students may qualify for extra-time, but that is a tedious process to get approved. Luckily, there are nearly 100 colleges that no longer require standardized testing for admittance.

Standardized tests judge how well you did for a few hours on one Saturday morning, while grades show a more accurate evaluation of overall progress.