Sat's

SATs

For years, juniors, seniors, and even sophomores have feared the dreaded SATs. The SAT is a test you can't fail but must pass, for it will affect the rest of your life. The SATs have been notorious for the anticipation students experience before the test. With all the practice tests, prep classes, extremely thick technique books, and most of all, the overwhelming emphasis that Colleges or Universities places on the test results it has become less accurate then in the past. With such built up anticipation regarding standardized testing it is clear that SATs can not accurately measure a student's ability to achieve success in collage, therefore should not determine if a student is eligibility for higher education or not. Why should students that have struggled academically but still manage to get by with passing grades be denied acceptance to a college or university because they are competing with fellow students who can memorize every word in the dictionary, let alone master an SAT prep class. People have more going for them besides their ability to memorize the technique to master the material in the SATs. I am not saying measuring academics is not important, but I do believe there is more to life that needs to be recognized when a person is representing themselves and applying to college. If a justification for the SATs is to help determine whether a student can handle the work load and independence of college life, there needs to be something other then such a monotonous standardized testing method.

SATs prove to be useful when it comes to measuring academics but still gather inaccurate results. From personal experience I have found that with all the built up stress and anticipation regarding the SATs, it is next to impossible to perform to the best of your ability. When I took my SAT test, I entered the test practically shaking in fear that if I messed up it would prevent me from entering college. I began reading over the test and getting anxious because I knew my education had not nearly covered the information needed to answers these types of questions. My heart rate began to rise as my palms dampened with sweat, I was doomed. Things I knew twenty minutes earlier where becoming pasta salad in my brain. The stress and anxiety that I experienced when taking the test directly led to my negative experience. As I neared the end of the test all I wanted to do was quit. Right then I had decided my education career was over. Leaving the test I contemplated whether I was prepared to register at a community college where SATs didn't matter, or if I was going to bite the bullet and send out applications in spite of my poor testing experience. I hoped that a college or university would recognize that I can do more then what was shown from the SATs.

Prior to the test I was feeling pretty good about my education. I knew I wasn't ever going to be the smartest kid in the class but I was confident that my reading, writing, and arithmetic skills where developing appropriately. After the test I was confident that I was below average in every educational aspect and got incredibly discouraged, all I wanted to do was give up. Luckily for me, my parents were not going to let me quit. They encouraged me to send out my applications and told me how my brother struggled in the same way. I sent out my applications with a thick packet attached including other things that I had done. I included pictures of metal sculptures I had created during my high school years, teacher's comments, and comments from past employers who I had good relationships with. Although my SATs were too low to be considered by the majority of colleges, I believe my acceptance was based on my ability to successfully market my self as a hard working, but struggling individual when it comes to academics. I can not be the only one who experiences difficulty testing under normal testing conditions, let alone the SATs. Another girl who was subject to unfair test conditions was a good friend of mine Caitlin. She was always the smart girl in the class that never missed a day of school or even a homework assignment, but when it came to the SATs she could not have been in a worse situation. She had missed the first testing date because she was on vacation with her family, but figured it would be fine to take the test once because academics had never been difficult for her. The night previous to the test her grandmother passed away for no particular reason. Caitlin did her best but struggled to fight the tears and sadness that were overwhelming her mind. She was not herself. After scoring lower then expected she regretted going on vacation with her family because that was the last time she could take the test. With situations like mine and hers it seems unrealistic to place so much emphasis on something that can be so easily altered by external conditions that are out of ones control.

Although our situations are reason enough to questions whether SATs are useful testing methods, there are other reasons why this test should be put under the microscope. Seeing that SAT test results help determine whether a student is eligible for an academic scholarship, every student should have an equal chance to do well. Everyone knows that there are SAT prep classes that can be attended for 500-1000 dollars, SAT practice booklets and sample tests that cost around 100 dollars, or even a personal tutor who have seen many versions of the tests, studied the answers and found useful little techniques first hand that can help you figure out the answer. I feel this is the legal way to cheat your way into college. Not everyone can afford the classes or even the book, how is this fair to the students who probably need the scholarship more then the student who received the scholarship? If you can buy a higher score on the SAT's then it should not be the same test for everyone, or the prep classes should be available for everyone. Julianne Malveaux wrote an article that was published in, Black Issues in Higher Education and stated:

"What does this infusion of capital mean to students of color, especially those of modest means, whose parents can barely afford the $70 handbook, not to mention the $1,000 coaching? It means that the racial economic gaps that already exist are being widened. It means that the youngsters that can't afford the SAT prep classes are likely to earn lower scores, and to have access to a different set of colleges, than their income-enhanced competitors." (P. 2, Malveaux)

This is not a "level playing field," (p.4, Malveaux) with this testing method in use. The rich will continue to earn themselves positions in the best colleges and universities while economically disadvantaged children will have fewer positions available when applying for higher