The Arguments On The Option Of Standardized Testing In College

“And times up! pens down chins up. Congratulations! You completed your examination.” Most students breathe in relief while some do not as for them, the scores are yet to come. Standardized testing like the SAT and ACT are considered to be an important part of the college program where students are required to solve a set of problems in the given time frame. In some cases, students are required to sit for listening as well as speaking tests too.

Furthermore, with the help of the results, colleges tend to decide the level of competency between the student as well. But does standardized testing really determines learner’s present and future performance? Some might say yes while some might say that standardized testing cannot determine a student’s actual performance as the results are just numbers. I stand with the latter. I believe that standardized testing should be optional because it only reflects certain subject strengths, causes mental health problems, and sets score conscious mindset.

Firstly, standardized testing should be optional because normally, it is said to test students’ knowledge of English, Maths, and Sciences. Even though these three subjects are considered to help a student grow, excelling in these three areas is not enough to become a good human being. This kind of testing does not gauge students’ creativity, flexibility, curiosity and even leadership which is essential to do good in their future. According to a study conducted by Mucherah and Yoder (2008), the student needs both subject knowledge and external qualities in order to excel. Their results showed that students who had lower IQ but had creativity and leadership qualities were able to perform better than those students who focused on Maths and Science more. Furthermore, with the results, it can be seen that there are other things than core subjects that demonstrate the students’ potential for universities.

Secondly, standardized testing causes health issues for the students. From the fear of not getting enough good grades to being judged constantly by people for not meeting their expectations, students are continuously pressurized. Even though it is said that frequent competitions are considered to be beneficial, too much of it can create negative effects on health which therefore causes students to not perform well. With that being said, most students tend to get stressed as it is a test that is looked at while applying for universities. Students who have the potential to obtain good grades, due to lack of sleep they lose their concentration when they need to step through an examination. For instance, a study conducted by Lal (2014), done on students sitting for standardized testing, showed that students who were sleep-deprived and stressed tended to get lower grades whereas those students who got sleep did quiet better. Not only this, few students even go to the extent of breaking down at the idea of finishing and completing an assessment like the ACT or SAT. As referenced in a study conducted by Zwick (2007), standardized tests produce grasping anxiety in even the good students were due to this they even skip their meals and force themselves to study. In addition, anxiety leads kids to feel sick where students had reported having nausea. Thus, this is why standardized testing cannot determine one’s competence as it makes students develop stress and anxiety disorder hence leading them to spoil their examination.

Many people argue that standardized tests should not be revoked as it prepares students to achieve good grades and deal with upcoming pressure that universities hold. Not only this, but students will also get a chance to prove themselves even if they had got a low GPA in their high school life. Thus, letting them pursue their desired universities. For instance, if a student lacks good rankings while they were in high schools, by scoring a decent grade in standardized tests, they can get into their desired university and fulfil their dream. According to a study conducted by Benjamin and Pashler (2015), it showed that students who took the standardized test before going into universities scored good grades than those students who did not sit for it. In addition to this, the study also showed that within the participants, the majority of students were able to get into the university only because they got a higher score in comparison with their GPA. Despite being able to get into good colleges, there are numerous factors like the fact that they are being timed and they need to do good kind of attitude may end up performing badly in their tests. Furthermore, as universities tend to give more value to those who score good grades on their standardized test, students who scored average can lead them to lose their dream universities too.

Besides this, according to a study conducted by Syverson (2018), 33 universities in the US found that even in universities, school grades do forecast students’ achievement. The results showed that those students who had low GPA throughout their high school but scored well on their standardized test achieved low university grades. On the other hand, those students who scored a high GPA and less on their standardized test achieved a high grade in their college too. So with this, it seems that even though if a student scored good grades in their standardized test, it is not necessary that it will prepare them for universities to get good grades. Therefore, proving that the standardized test does not really prepares students for their universities.

In conclusion, by considering the fact that standardized testing is just an extra burden to students which ignores other potential abilities, causes various mental issues as well as it sets grade conscious mindset, standardized tests should be optional. Furthermore, standardized tests are not reasonable for universities to just look at a student's ACT or SAT marks. Students' evaluations and GPA are what colleges should look at when students are applying for college. These are things that show a student's true potential and capacities for college in an increasingly powerful manner.