There has been a lot of research and debate over the use of standardized testing in college admissions. This debate is still ongoing. Today, there are over 800 colleges that don’t require SAT scores at all or make it a test-optional policy. That number is still growing. Our education system has become overly reliant on these types of tests to measure our success. However, advocates of standardized testing in college admissions say the “SAT has a proven track record as a fair and valid predictor of first-year college success for all students” and it serves as national, standardized scales to determine how prepared students are for college. The test is said to “measure literacy, numeracy and writing skills that are needed for academic success in college”. But does it really measure the skills actually needed in college? Does it have a positive affect on students? Should it even be considered? These are questions asked all of the time. The test doesn’t measure traits that lead to success like work traits, determination, and so on. It hinders many students’ admissions into college and it actually does more harm than good. The SAT gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their college-preparedness, but I believe it should be considered test-optional for the college admission process.
High school students that are about to enter college are the most stressed their senior year. They have to worry about applying to college, keeping their grades up and trying to fit in those extra points. The SAT adds more stress to a student’s life and it affects their admission into a certain college. The test is most stressful to a student when they have to retake it senior year. The Stress in America™ survey found similar patterns of unhealthy behavior in teens and adults, especially during school year. In “American Psychological Association Survey Shows Teen Stress Rivals That of Adults” Sophie Bethune states “Teens report that their stress level during the school year far exceeds what they believe to be healthy (5.8 versus 3.9 on a 10-point scale) and tops adults’ average reported stress levels (5.8 for teens versus 5.1 for adults)”. These numbers are alarming and the stress impacts students everyday lives including eating and sleeping habits. Studies show that students are stressed as much as adults. This is another example why the test should be optional. They spend a lot of time worrying about the test when they could be focusing on more important academic and social activities that could benefit them in the future and so forth. Some colleges depend heavily on your test scores so students want to make sure they get a high score.
I am one of those students that had to retake the SAT in my senior year. I went to school in the Bronx, a mostly low/middle-income populated area, and they offered sat prep classes but it wasn’t enough to make me feel prepared for the test. My parents couldn’t afford the top sat prep materials so I was on my own. I was stressed when I took both because I was aiming to get a certain score. On both tests I got around the same score, which was around 1100. I wasn’t satisfied and believed that I could’ve done better. This score made me iffy about the colleges I applied to. In “I am more than a number: The case against SAT scores in college admissions” Kelsey Page states “One of the most the most pressure-packed tests a young adult can take, the SAT brings back memories of stress and anxiety for many students.” Page is also a witness to how much the test has a toll on students. In her article, she goes on to talk about how it doesn’t show much success and she strongly believes it should be removed from the college admission process. Students want to make sure they excel on it and so do their parents. In doing so, they spend a lot of money on SAT-prep classes and other prep-related items.
The SAT causes families to spend more money. Students who want to score high on the test will go to the highest measures to hire a tutor. They also spend money on SAT prep books, prep websites, and prep classes. About 2 million students take the test each year. Some even take the ACT during their high school years. The prep books cost around $30 and a private tutor could cost around $200 an hour. Kaplan, an online prep course, starts from about $300. This is another stress factor that is placed on families’ lives. In “SAT Tests: Another Drain on the Family Budget “ Blaire Briody states “The tests also carries additional fees for late registration, standby testing, registration changes, scores by telephone, and extra score reports, each of which ranges between $11 and $55. All this so that parents can write the real checks later and kids can rack up serious debt through student loans.” The SAT is an industry itself. They make their profit especially from students who have to retake it. Spending on SAT test prep is also expected to increase as competition in colleges increases. Families also have to spend money to actually take the test. This a major profit for companies like College Board who produces the test. And since, students need this test to get into college, they will definitely pay the money they need to acquire it and score high on the test. Unfortunately, not all families are able to afford the best tutors, and other prep related items due to their income. Thus, most students in a low-income bracket score lower than those in a high-income bracket.
The test is believed to be bias mostly towards minorities and low-income families. Low-income families are usually not as prepared for the tests because they can’t afford most items needed for preparation. Because of factors such as lower quality schools and lack of access to preparation, low-income families have a disadvantage when taking the SAT. Minorities or low-income families are more likely not get into colleges of their choice because of the SAT. There are performance gaps between various races. In “SAT Scores and Family Income” Catherine Rampell states “ On every test section, moving up an income category was associated with an average score boost of over 12 points.” In the critical reading section chart in Rampell’s article, family incomes of $20,000 and below scored and average of 434 in their reading scores. While, family incomes of $200,00 and up scored an average of 563. This accounts to the income gap resulting in the different preparation and scores resulted from the test. Studies show that White and Asian students tend to score higher on the test than students of Latino, African-American, and Native American descent. Kelsey Page states “Identifying as black, female or any other identity associated with negative stereotypes in education before taking a test causes test takers’ inhibiting doubts to increase.” Doing so, she believes that test takers who are minorities tend to do worse because of certain self-identity insecurities. In “A Social Psychological Perspective on the Achievement Gap in Standardized Test Performance Between White and Minority Students: Implications for Assessment” they measured Nationally Representative Assessment of Education Progress scores for 8th and 12th grade students in science, math, and reading. They also measured the SAT scores for Black and White students. Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton states “self-hatred and feelings of helplessness tend to arise from membership in underprivileged or outcast groups.” Minorities tend to feel more insecure about them because all the discrimination they have to face. The results from their observation showed that students who were sensitive about race were concerned about being targets of discrimination when they revealed their race. This shows a direct link to concerns about discrimination in academic settings such as writing essays. On the SAT, they ask for your race/ethnicity and this leads to self-identity issues especially for minorities. Wealthy students become more prepared for standardized tests through better life experiences, such as top-quality schools and test prep tutors. They tend to do better because they have better access to it.
Because family income affects student’s results on the SAT, minorities tend to not get into the colleges they aspire to be in. Students’ scores on the test lower college applications, which then leads to less diversity in schools. Diversity is essential especially in college. If there’s no diversity, students wouldn’t be exposed to various things and it will cause them to be bias towards certain subjects. Diversity in colleges opens students to new ideas, personalities, and skills. In “Why Does Diversity Matter at College Anyway?” Jeremy S. Hyman states “Diversity prepares students for future career success. Successful performance in today's diverse workforce requires sensitivity to human differences and the ability to relate to people from different cultural backgrounds.” Diversity prepares us for the future and enhances self-awareness. In doing so, you’re more capable of making more informed decisions and lessens the ignorance you have of other backgrounds. This is not only a positive affect to you but to the people around you.
From a different point of view, the SAT is important regarding the college admission process and is used to interpret student’s performance. SAT scores help colleges interpret students' overall academic performance. In “SAT Admission Requirements: The Importance of the SAT” Dora Seigel states “Applicants to one university will come from different backgrounds, will have attended different high schools, will have taken different classes, will have done different extracurricular activities, but all applicants will have taken the SAT..” They use it to compare students from across the nation. It gives them variety and insight into the student. SAT scores are used to show if the student’s scores and GPA match because sometimes students can cheat their way through high school but do really bad on the SAT and that’s something the colleges will look at. Seigel states, “If you have a 4.0 GPA with a perfect 1600 SAT score, admissions officers will likely be impressed and think your GPA is reflective of your academic potential.” Colleges pay much attention to this and that’s why it’s good to do your best on your test. Seigel also believes a high score can replace a low GPA. Colleges can be willing to look over it. It’s good for students to take the test to see how they good they’ve been doing and show colleges the potential they have. Even though it adds stress to their life, preparing well for it can lead to positive results in the long run.
However, I still stand by my claim and that it should be optional. The SAT is only one test out of how many other ones students have taken throughout their whole school year. Making the test optional is shown to result in more successful rates in colleges. It wouldn’t only lessen stress in students’ lives, but it will lead to more diversity in colleges. In “Results of Removing Standardized Test Scores from College Admissions”’ Jonathan Lash states “Our yield, the percentage of students who accepted our invitation to enroll, rose in a single year from 18% to 26%, an amazing turnaround …Class diversity increased to 31% students of color, the most diverse in our history, up from 21% two years ago” and so on. This shows that making the test an option results in more positive effects. More students will be able to go to the college they aspire to go to. In “When Colleges Go Test-Optional, Who Benefits?” Dan Edmond states “Pitzer College, for example, asserts that since adopting test-optional policies, it has seen a “58 percent increase in diversity” (by which one presumes the school means non-white students) and “the college has doubled the number of students from low-income, first-generation backgrounds.” Making it optional will put an end to the lack of economic diversity, which is essential to personal growth, in elite schools. Also, the rate of quality in college applications will increase. Edmond also states “It’s allowing student who do well on the tests to submit them as a piece of supporting evidence, while allowing students who don’t perform well to be evaluated based on other factors, often including, at more selective schools, tests like the AP exams, which rely more heavily on essay-writing than on multiple-choice questions.” Making the test optional gives students a chance that haven’t done so well in high school, a chance to redeem themselves and use the test.
The debate on the SAT’s usefulness in the college admission process is still ongoing. It has a lot of positive factors like showing students’ ability to apply what they have learned in high school and giving colleges a different view of students test taking skills. It is said to “measure literacy, numeracy and writing skills that are needed for academic success in college” but it’s shown that it doesn’t measure the actual skills needed for college (determination, college readiness, and so on). Instead, it just shows how good you are on the test. The test has more negative factors than positive. It adds stress to a student’s life; it’s bias towards groups of ethnic and socioeconomic diversity, and it doesn’t show a student’s success throughout high school that colleges are looking for. The test doesn’t give everyone an opportunity to show what he or she can really do. Making the SAT optional will create more diversity in colleges and take off the stress students go through in school.