High schools should not require their students to take the SAT and ACT if it is no longer a college application requirement.
A few weeks ago, in room 205, six juniors tiredly started their final PSAT, struggling to keep their eyes open and minds sharp. It’s hard to do your best work on this test, as you’re stuck sitting at the same desk for three and half hours with little breaks, attention span fleeting by the minute. Taking it isn’t optional and you’re expected to do your best. Originally, the SAT and ACT were for colleges to evaluate your academic performance through these scores. Today, colleges are starting to become test-optional, prioritizing overall grades and transcripts rather than one score. However, this doesn’t change that taking the SAT is a graduation requirement in the AAPS district.
The SAT is a standardized test that high schools around the United States have juniors take. It was originally created to give colleges a fair and consistent way to compare all students’ academic applications. Split into two parts, the test consists of an English and Math section, each containing two modules: 27 questions for English and 22 for Math. Content ranges from basic grammar to advanced algebra. The standard test time is two hours and 14 minutes but can vary based on testing accommodations.
“Imagine a bright young student struggling with standardized tests, overwhelmed by the ticking clock and the pressure to perform. Despite their creative ideas and deep understanding of complex concepts, their test scores are low and, on paper, may seem unimpressive,” researchers at St. Johns University said.
Realizing that not all students can be accurately represented by one test, colleges are leaning more on looking at a student’s academics as a whole by using in depth transcripts and making it optional to submit test scores.
The SAT is not only becoming increasingly irrelevant, but it also unloads excessive stress on high school students. Harvard Graduate School did a study showing that “on average, students had 15 percent more cortisol in their systems the homeroom period before a standardized test than on days with no high-stakes testing.” Students waiting all junior year long for testing can cause long term stress, affecting students academic and physical performance.
Every spring since eighth grade, I’ve been taking the PSAT; one of the longest days of the school year comes at 7:30 in the morning. The time seems to go half as fast as it usually does as I sit glued to a desk for four hours using my every so often five minute breaks, struggling to stay awake. Watching the little clock tick away at the top of my screen, chugging along question after question. I have extra time for testing based on my IEP which means double time for each module, but what’s decided to help can sometimes make it harder. Sitting in a room with only four people with the same accommodations, each one of you with your own struggles, but at this moment all in the same boat. Question after question, I’m stressed out of my mind, and I have no clue whether I am even close to the right answer, while the clock seems to be ticking faster and faster. Deep breaths and focused eyes, I remind myself I’m almost done. I let the teacher know I finished as my screen flickers back to the home screen; now all I can do is wait. Scores take months to be released, so the wait is nothing short of nerve racking.
In my freshman year, three months after taking the PSAT, scores were released. I was stressed to see if I did as good as everyone else did or if I even improved from last year. Everyone around me was talking about their scores. Knowing I’m not a good test taker and that I learn better with lectures, essays and projects, the nerves and pressure of tests has my academics crumbling. I waited until I got home and logged into College Board to reveal what could be a disappointment or a wave of relief. My scores were far from what I wanted, not even close to what anyone was bragging about. The PSAT is out of 1520, but I got a 760. This was only my second time taking the test, but it still stung. I know this isn’t an accurate representation of my academic ability, but being surrounded by the buzz and murmurs of students about their scores, it doesn’t feel good.
Now it’s junior year and as if getting my last culmination of grades, volunteer hours, regular life sports and events for colleges to see wasn’t enough, my final SAT is creeping up on me. I know this one is the one that matters the most; the one that colleges will see.
Junior year holds a lot of academic pressure with it being your last year colleges will take into consideration, and for someone like me that didn’t take freshman and sophomore year seriously, this year holds a lot of weight for me. The SAT is an immense part of that pressure. I wonder why if the SAT doesn’t hold the same weight for colleges why should it hold so much weight in junior year?
