POINT: Cienna Roget

For some, the SAT is just another test, another early-release day; however, for others, the SAT is their only opportunity to demonstrate their intelligence to potential universities.

While the SAT is criticized for being a standardized tests, this quality provides more value for students than it detracts. Because a test of the same caliber is administered in the same manner for every student, it is assured that no one student has an advantage over another when taking the test. No matter one’s race, gender, religion, or class, the SAT is always the same, this results in a level playing field, an equal and fair chance for everyone.

Almost every four-year college utilizes SAT scores as a deciding factor in the admission process, and because a majority of students have taken the test, universities can be objective. Due to the standardization of the test, admissions officers can compare students on the same scale, without bias. This is especially important when considering that high schools nationwide have varying grading scales.

The SAT is also proven to be an accurate predictor of college-readiness. A recent study by the College Board of over 150,000 students and 100 colleges found that SAT scores in combination with grade point average (GPA), rather than solely GPA, was more accurate in predicting college success rates. Unlike most tests in school, the SAT aims to evaluate thinking skills garnered from one’s education, not one’s ability to memorize and regurgitate information.

In my experience, tests like the SAT and PSAT, although stressful, have yielded results that I feel properly portray my personal college-readiness and intelligence. As a student, it is important to gauge one’s abilities and track progress as one continues through high school. For me, the most optimal results have been the scholarship opportunities and recognition from selective universities in response to my score.

The SAT may not be every student’s’ preferred method of testing, but the test ultimately provides an objective system for colleges to determine if one is prepared for college and suitable for acceptance.

COUNTERPOINT: Chloe Edwards

As Juniors are signing up for SATs this coming spring they are faced with a test that plays a significant role in their college admissions. The score they get has the capability to make or break their chance of getting into the school of their desire. This can be a heavy burden for a high school student to carry on their shoulders on top of getting sufficient grades and participating in outside of school activities.

As a whole, the SAT may provide colleges with some sort of insight on the students yet does not accurately show the full extent of knowledge the student has.

The test is supposed to “objectively measure” the skills one has acquired all throughout their educational life yet to have more than a decade’s worth of knowledge portrayed in one test is an unreasonable goal.

With all the material a student is taking in a matter of months it is safe to say that not everything will stick, thus recalling something you learned in middle school can become unrealistic. Not even to mention that upon entering the test, the stress and anxiety levels a student has may ultimately affect the mindset in which they take the test. A negative aspect that is well worth mentioning is that even though a student is capable of retaking the test, all participants may not have the capability to pay the fees.

According to New York Times article on the matter, a bulk of the students wishing to score high on the SAT spend more time prepping for this test rather than participating in educational activities. In the grander scheme, I believe that this is a side effect to the test which portrays to the students that your SAT score is more of a priority than building up your educational depth and applying it in real life experiences. Thus, this test isn’t valuing a student’s intelligence but depicting how much time and money students spend preparing for the SAT.

Overall, to get rid of this SAT and have college admissions be solely based on accumulative growth and success would be overall more beneficial for the student as well as the college seeking a determined student.