SAT and ACT Testing: Is It an Effective Method for College/HS Entrance? - Research Paper

Introduction

In the academic field, tests are essential, and it might not be easy to move from one level to another without being subjected to tests. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate if the SAT and ACT testing is effective or not. Any student at high school or college student can easily relate the stress and worries of preparing and taking SAT or ACT testing as perhaps the only solution to gaining entrance to their school or college of choice. There are different ways of studying for these exams and getting the best score possible. However, the only question is whether SAT and ACT testing is effective or not for the schools, colleges, and even universities to know the academic strength of a student. Therefore, this paper endeavors to discuss in support of the fact that these tests are not effective.

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The truth is that SAT and ACTA testing are not effective and only create fear and anxiety among students (Broderick n.p). Higher education is an essential discourse in almost all career fields. However, when schools and colleges introduce SAT and ACT testing as prerequisites for admission, students who score low marks develop anxiety and subsequently fear joining such institutions and in the end, they are unable to take advantage of the opportunities that may change their life. Therefore, college or university degrees are vital in students' lives, but low scores in SAT or ACT testing interfere with the ability of the students to grasp opportunities.

Also, the SAT and ACT testing are not effective because they cause discrimination in society. As Broderick reported, SAT was initially developed and introduced in the education system as a way for the students from low-income families to gain the notice of the opportunities available (n.p). As learning and knowledge acquisition continued, standardized tests have become the norm of most institutions instead of being an exception. In effect, the imposition of the SAT or CAT test into the life of the students makes the playing field unleveled for all categories of students from the different social background. Therefore, SAT and ACT testing is not effective because they are sources of discrimination among students from a diverse social background. The fact that the outcomes of these tests follow a predictable pattern every year makes them ineffective. Valerie also posits that the SAT and ACT testing are not effective because the outcome of the tests follows a predictable pattern (n.p). Most of the institutions which offer these exams have claimed that the tests are objective, but there are some pieces of evidence to support the narration that the scores of standardized test follow the same pattern. In most cases, students from low-income family perform dismally than the children from a wealthy family. Wealthy parents can provide additional benefits to get better marks to secure admission into the institutions. Besides, students from wealthy families have the opportunity to access necessary resources like learning materials and tuition tutors to make them perform better. Therefore, they are only able to pass the SAT and ACT test by being able to access resources while their counterparts from low-income families cannot access such resources.

SAT and ACT testing only predict performance of the student at the admission but not the subsequent performances. Heller also reported that SAT's design does not prove the achievement of students but just a predictor of how well the students might perform in college at the time of admission (n.p). Heller's assertion supports the fact that SAT and CAT testing is not effective in the long run. Exams such as SAT and CAT are only predictors of grades at admission but are not validated predictors of the grades of the college or university students past the freshman year and graduation rates.

The structure of the SAT and ACT test also contributed to their ineffectiveness. The problem with the SAT and ACT testing is that they are standardized. That is, they are structured similarly. In most cases, these tests contain about 50 questions for every subject for testing. There is not enough justification for the use of only 50 questions to provide an accurate outcome of learning 12 years or more in the previous stages. The SAT and ACT test are framed in 50 questions cannot measure the information or skills a student acquired. If the score of the student is the only thing that matters and not general knowledge, then they are not expected to succeed in the future.

The scores of the SAT and ACT testing are never consistent, and this makes these tests not effective. It is merely possible to get consistent results even after taking the test more than once. In most cases, students who intend to join colleges or universities are forced to take the tests more than once with the hope of getting a better score. Under normal circumstances, the score is expected to be high when one has been exposed to tests severally. However, that is never the case with the SAT and ACT testing. It has been found that some of the students still score low marks even after taking the tests many times. Unfortunately, this is only possible because the SAT and ACT testing are designed to prevent the students from getting higher marks. Ideally, it is not possible to count on such tests to provide the best prediction of a child's ability.

There is also another reason to believe that SAT and ACT testing does not make any sense at all and hence are not effective at all. The SAT and ACT testing focuses on the strategies rather the informational knowledge delivery. One of the strategies is how to regulate the high number of students seeking admission in different colleges and universities. It is a fact that in most cases, these tests cannot precisely measure what a student can or cannot do. Therefore, the SAT and ACT are not the most effective testing methods to evaluate the academic prowess of a student. Finally, the exponential rate of passing SAT and CAT tests for admission in colleges and universities carry risks. One article noted that while there are claims that the SAT and ACT testing have improved in quality as well as convenience, they have equally become technical for the average students to pass (Phelp 4). In a nutshell, most of the tests conducted in the past were only on a larger scale and did not focus on the quality of learning. However, at the moment when quality seems to be the primary focus, there is also an issue of difficulty in handling the questions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, SAT and ACT testing are not effective predictors of the real ability of the students in colleges and universities. It is discriminative to subject children from wealthy and low-income families to such non-informational tests when they do not have access to the same resources. At the moment, most of the students are required to have a high score in SAT and ACT test to secure admissions, but other institutions of higher learning have incorporated other factors and further complicating the whole thing. Finally, for secondary students who want to graduate with a degree, seeking admission in colleges with SAT and ACT testing as optional requirement is the right choice.

Works Cited

Heller, Don. Standardized tests not always best indicator of success. (2010). https://news.psu.edu/story/165456/2010/08/23/standardized-tests-not-always-best-indicator-success

Strauss, Valerie. Is it finally time to get rid of the SAT and ACT college admissions tests? (2019). https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/03/19/is-it-finally-time-get-rid-sat-act-college-admissions-tests/?utm_term=.c1490e7c95c7

Phelps, Richard P. "The role and importance of standardized testing in the world of teaching and training." (2008): pp.1-9.

Thomas, Broderick. Test Anxiety on the ACT or SAT. (2016). https://magoosh.com/hs/act/about-the-act/2016/test-anxiety-on-the-act-or-sat/