Caroline Hart, a Junior at Greenwich Country Day School, struggles with the balance between school and athletics. Like many of us, she finds it hard to find free time while executing her different academic tasks. When asked about SATs, Caroline remarked that “Preparing for the SAT on top of homework and athletics has definitely added stress to my life.”

Do you think standardized tests like the SAT and ACT correctly measure students’ academic knowledge and skills? Do they serve as accurate indicators for how well students will do with college-level coursework? The season for standardized tests is upon us, and although we have come a long way, we cannot seem to get rid of them entirely; however, with COVID preventing many students from being able to take a standardized test, a lot of schools have become test-optional and are finally seeing that there is more to a person than a numerical score. 

In 1959, the SAT and ACT started off standardizing the admissions process administratively so that New England boarding schools would adopt a uniform curriculum, meaning students would be given a fair chance no matter what school they choose to apply to, stated in PBS. However, we have lost sight of the main purpose and see standardized tests as a means of competing with one another. The test causes more stress than ever and causes students to hyperfocus on one test that doesn’t define them as a person. As a Junior myself going through this process, I can admit that three PSAT’s, and over 35 hours of prep have taken a toll on me.  I am privileged and grateful to have this opportunity in such hard times, but it seems the test negatively affects us more than positively. To see if this notion is accurate, we asked some Juniors in the middle of the testing process. 

Caroline’s not alone. In fact, an increasing number of students and faculty see the SAT and ACT as an unnecessary and inaccurate way of proving one’s ability, intelligence, and knowledge. On the other hand, given the fact that COVID has indirectly encouraged people to apply to more colleges, some students feel that standardized testing is a key way to distinguish themselves. Some might say the SAT has already taken a step in the right direction by getting rid of the essay portion and all subject tests in November. This could possibly play a huge role in the extinction of the tests in the future. There is a chance COVID-19 has started to push colleges to rethink their testing standards further. The ACT and SAT will definitely not be a mainstream part of applying to college in the future, but when that will happen remains the essential question.  “I do not believe my test scores should reflect on my abilities as a student. Standardized testing should no longer be required to get into colleges. They do not always accurately portray a student, as some people are not good test takers (such as myself)”- Caroline Hart. Clearly, whether standardized testing is a stress that is worthwhile or not is up for debate. The national academic community may never be in agreement on this, but the idea that standardized testing may not be as necessary as we have made it out to be is definitely on the rise. 

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