“The SAT Prep Industry Isn’t Going Anywhere”
By: James S. Murphy from The Atlantic
Commentary by: Sam Smathers 1st
This
article was written about how SAT prep is not going to disappear because kids
and parents want to prepare for one of the most stressful tests they will ever
take. This test is not even correlated to what they learn in school but yet
dictates where they go to school. The math questions do not follow the formula
of the math taught in school and the English questions are all multiple choice
when in English there are rarely multiple-choice questions. Results on the SAT
are impacted more on your ability to pay for test prep than anything else.
Should
there be a test to dictate what you can do? Yes, I think there should be a
test, but not this test. Hopefully by now, as a senior in high school you would
have some sort of idea in regards to what you want to do. Not a clear idea, but
you would know if you wanted to do science or math or if you liked English and
history. You should take a test that tests you on what you are going to end up
needing in your future career. If you want to be a chemist you should have to
take chemistry and math and history of science tests not critical reading. It
simply doesn’t make sense to test a kid that is never going to take a math
class ever again over their ability to do math. In Ireland they have a series
of standardized tests that after taking them essentially tells you what you can
do for a job. If you are smart you get to be a doctor or a teacher, work in the
government, if you aren’t smart than you get to work in retail. I think you
should be able to take this test as many times as you want, but the test you
take should help you figure out where you want to go and what you want to do,
it shouldn’t just be an indication of your intelligence. For example I think I
am a fairly smart person but this is not reflected in my SAT or ACT scores
because I cannot focus for that long on something and I get easily distracted.
Because of this I will struggle to get the scores I need to go to schools I
want to go to when in all actuality I am smart enough to go. Learning how to do
better on the ACT will not make me smarter or any better prepared for college, I
will learn nothing of real value, but after making a 33 on the ACT then I will
be able to apply to colleges I want to go to, but my intelligence level is the
same it was when I got a 29. How messed up is that? The SAT tests people on a
skill that has nothing to do with anything; soon as you get into school the
test is rendered obsolete. If the test was really all that important shouldn’t
it matter for longer than for one decision? If the test was really important
shouldn’t preparing for it make me smarter? Shouldn’t the questions be relevant
to things we have been learning for four years? Why do we put up with a system
that doesn’t work? What does this say about us? We need to stop giving in to
the rules created by people that have no idea what they are talking about and
start making ones that actually make sense.
I definitely agree that ACT and SAT scores should not be a barometer for intelligence (though in many cases it does do a good job at identifying those who are intelligent) However, as you mentioned, the nation has to have a national standard, a test that the whole nation can take and colleges can compare all students on the same scale. For instance, the State of Texas used to have some of the lowest level of difficulty standardized tests in the nation while, say Iowa, had among the most difficult. Also, the SAT and ACT are actually made by psychologists and their objective is to make wrong answer choices that our brains are naturally drawn to. However, the SAT and ACT do emulate real life in that they demand efficiency: solving problems in a short amount of time without error.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the SAT or the ACT should be considered with as much weight as they currently are. They are not a good indicator of how students do in school. I think it would be much more beneficial to test for skills that have been used in high school and will be used in college.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with you, Sam. The SAT is treated like an IQ test(which is also not a perfect indicator of intelligence). The only way to study for the SAT is to understand the structure of the test, thus it only tests ones knowledge of college board. Furthermore, some people are naturally better at taking this particular type of test, but not necessarily more intelligent or more likely to be successful. The way colleges view intelligence and likeliness to be successful is hopelessly over simplified and one- sided. The weight that is put on this test verges on absurdity.
ReplyDeleteI agree. The test is very flawed. Of course there is no such thing as a perfect test, but the SAT nor the ACT is a good indicator of intelligence. For example, I suck at reading and English, but I'm good at math. The SAT is 2/3 language arts based, and 1/3 math based. These tests stink...
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