Trembling hands, flying graphite, nervous sweat. Anyone who's taken a standardized test recognizes those symptoms instantly. Millions of students take the SAT and ACT tests each year in hopes of earning admission to their dream college, but a growing movement insists these standardized tests are an unfair and inaccurate measure of academic worth. Should colleges continue to consider these tests when determining their future alumni?
It’s about using scores responsibly. Yes. Colleges should use standardized test scores in admissions. Standardized tests are not pure evil. I’ll be as bold to say that they offer a useful way to compare kids across high schools. To me, the problem is less with the tests, per se, and more with how colleges have come to use them in admissions. Colleges have lost sight of the fact that the tests “test” limited things. They’re not a one-shot, all-inclusive, magic elixir. In fact, they’re not even the best predictor of college performance (the high school transcript is).
So the real problem here is colleges’ irresponsible use of scores. They have put too much emphasis on standardized test scores in the admissions process in an effort to preserve and even raise their average scores. Much of this is driven by the much-maligned and much-revered (depending on who you talk to) rankings – and it is lamentable.
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