Damian To

10/25/19

Block 1

Mrs. Storer: English 3H

The Weaknesses of Standardized Testing

Often in life, we are given challenges that others must face; however, does everyone have

an equal chance of succeeding in these challenges? Every few months in the United States

students across the country are given the chance at a high stakes standardized test, the SAT or

ACT. With this many people taking these standardized tests, it calls into question whether these

tests are fair for everyone taking them. Standardized testing does not give every student an equal

opportunity at success.

It is one week before I take my final SAT before I have to start applying to colleges. This

will be my fifth attempt at taking this test, my highest score that I have gotten is 1080/1600. I

wish I was more financially stable like some of my friends who are able to afford private tutoring

to study. Anyway, I walk into my first class and the air conditioning has stopped working, filling

the room with a horrendous amount of heat. The screams of students who fail to be quiet when

the teacher enters the room and the sounds of squeaking coming from the tables that are close to

breaking. Although it was hard to focus on the immense heat, I manage to take my notes and

understand the lesson, this lesson, however, is not relevant to the tests I am trying to study for,

actually, this curriculum is close to a year behind most other schools. I stay behind after class to

talk to my teacher about potential tutoring opportunities that the school could provide. He looks

sympathetic when he turns to me and tells me that due to budget cuts the school no longer
provides tutoring. Being the first in my family to attempt to attend college, I have no idea how to

go about studying properly for this test.

The day has finally begun, my final SAT. I walked nervously to the testing site, anxious

about what scores I might get this time. I would like to think that I have done well studying on

my own; but, I still wished that I had someone else to help me, as it’s hard to focus on my own.

The test is finally over, still, there is this feeling of disappointment as I felt that I had done

poorly. A few weeks later, I am starting my college applications for college when I turn on the

news. Suddenly, there is an interview with a local student who had gotten 1580/1600 on the

SAT, he said his success came from him being fortunate enough that his family had allowed him

to go to a private high school and provided top tutors in the area to help him succeed.

Students around the world are facing this same problem. Some may have advantages or

disadvantages to taking these tests due to an economic division. Now, these students either have

diminishing or increased chances of getting into colleges due to these scores. The standardized

tests that one takes in high school are unfair determiners of whether one may be accepted into

higher education.