Tests and why we need them.

By.CWhite In Tamar Lewin article “A New SAT Aims to Realign with Schoolwork” he writes about changes that are going to be mad to the SAT. They are looking to make the SAT more like the ACT by removing the penalty for guessing and making the essay portion optional. The article states that high school grades are a bigger determining factor toward college grades than standardized test scores. I took the act and did not take the SAT, so I cannot comment on how the SAT test is taken. I took the residual ACT for my college. I did not take ACT coming out of high school because I had no intention of going to college. The ACT is a relatively easy test it is straightforward. I think the ACT is a good way to test a student’s ability going into college. I received a twenty-one on my ACT which I think is accurate to my abilities. I see myself as an average college student. I think the ACT is a good measure of a student’s ability to do well in college. Some people would say those standardized tests are not a good way to test students, because not everyone is a good test taker, but I think this is a poor excuse. Life tests us every day and we need to rise to the occasion. We simply cannot say I do not do well on tests. When college students get out into the real world their boss will not care that he or she does not do well under pressure they will expect results. When I was in high school I thought standardized test were useless, because how can a test tell if I will do well in college. I also did not like them because I had no intention of going to college. I hated school in high school. It was not until years after getting out of high school that I found that I needed to further my education to reach my goals in life. I went back to school sucked up my pride and took the test I hated in high school and to my surprise it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I think standardized tests should not be abolished. How else could you tell if a student was knowledgeable or if they just sleepwalked throughout school? Would you trust your freedom to a lawyer that did not take the Lsat? I know I would not trust my freedom to someone who was not put to the test. If a doctor never had to pass a test to be licensed as a doctor I know I would not trust his diagnosis of what is wrong with me. We need to be held accountable no longer should being a bad test taker be an excuse for doing poorly.