Essay about ACT and SATs

Submitted By burnham10
Words: 682
Pages: 3

College: Makers or Breakers
Taking a test? Bad with test anxiety or couldn't pay to retake the take the test? Sorry some college choices are going to be sacrificed. College boards say they use the SAT and ACT tests to determine admissions, provide scholarships and financial support in a fair way to all students. But these tests should shift how they weigh the importance of test scores because they are not fair for all students, due to the fact that the tests favor students from a higher income scale family, adds unnecessary anxiety to students, and standardized testing does not use “out-of-the-box” thinking and creativity. Instead admissions, scholarship opportunities and financial support options should be based on the students grade performance in high school, the application and the written essay. Firstly, Students from higher income families are usually favored to score higher on these tests because unlike other students they can afford to retest and pay for prep classes. Alone the ACT test is $36(Current ACT Fees and Services). Now most colleges require ACT writing plus at a cost of $52(Current ACT Fees and Services). Imagine retaking the ACT writing plus, taking a $699 prep class, and paying a late registration fee of $23 adding up to a minimum grand total of $800(ACT Course Options). It is clear that fees can start to add up fast and it is hard for most students to afford them. Colleges should let the ACT or SAT tests be optional for the application of their college. For the reason being if a student does not feel very strong about their chances of acceptance due to either a weak essay or a weak application in general they can have the opportunity to take the ACT or SAT and possibly mark a high score to feel confident when the student turns in their application.

Secondly, Sitting in a quiet room for 3 hours taking a test that has the ability to make or break your future can be stressful for any student. Given that any test can add anxiety to any student, A test that is timed and pressure can push any student over the edge. The ACT and SAT tests are to high staked and count way to much on students futures. The feeling of getting a D or even a C on a test can be overbearing let alone scoring a 18 on the ACT or a 1100 on the SAT. Then needing to send that low score to colleges who will compare you to other students. Students are overworked about scoring a good score on these tests and start to devote their time to study when the time could be used more efficiently