Standardized Testing

For the past two weeks, I have taken a multitude of standardized tests. These include the ACT, the Prarie State Exam, and the AP United States History test. The goals of these exams are to test proficiency in a certain subject. For example, the ACT and the PSAE both use a variety of subjects including reading and science, while the AP U.S. History test is limited exclusively to American history. These tests have become a vital role in the college admissions process because they claim to represent an objective score for colleges and universities to evaluate.

While many people believe that these tests are invaluable and not effective, I beg to differ. With so many different high school curricula across the country, it is almost impossible to compare grades from one to another; it is basically apples to oranges. Two students could be enrolled in the same course on paper, but in reality, one could be much more difficult than the other. In addition, a honors course at one school could equate to a college preperatory course at another. The truth is that these grades are subjective. While standardized tests are by no means perfect, in my opinion, they do a decent job of testing proficiency. Without these scores acting as a common requirement for all students, college admissions would be much more subjective than they already are now.