Andreski 1

Taby Andreski

Professor Fields

English Composition 2

26 February 2019

Standardized Testing

Standardized tests have been something every high school student and college student has

had to undergo at one point of their life. It is installed in a student’s brain that one test can

determine whether or not they’re acceptance into the college a person has always wanted to get

into. It can also be the determining factor into getting accepted into a specific tech school

program or not. People all around the world are wondering if the ACT/SAT should carry the

weight that it does. Students grow up and have so much pressure put on themselves to pass this

test just so they can get admitted into a college/program. The admission process does look over

many factors such as their high school GPA, class record, but the standardized test is weighed

higher than the rest. ACT/SAT scores help colleges compare students from different high

schools. “The scores show strengths and readiness for college work. (Pay for College, 2019)”

Something that needs to be accounted for is students and their test taking ability. In order to

understand the overall impact, one’s ACT/SAT score has on college admission it is important to

determine how this test effects the mental health of students, whether or not these tests accurately

measure intelligence, and what the overall benefits or determinants of this test is.

Based on recent research, it shows that 40-60% of students admit to having test anxiety as

some point or another, and around 38% record having it all the time (Morton, 2015). Students

can truly study for days, but their brain power will be focused on test anxiety, rather than the test

itself. This shift of focus is the cause for the saying being a bad test taker. In April of 2013,
 Andreski 2

Annie Murphy Paul wrote an article about how to be a better test taker. In that article, she

explained that test anxiety is a huge factor that demonstrates how many students have the

inability to do well on tests. A student can study numerous hours a day and yet still do very

poorly on a test because of this anxiety. The student’s brain is so focused on anxiety, that they

simply cannot remember any of the answers for the test (Paul 2015). As the years progressed

there has been many further studies and information that leads to the conclusion that more than

half of this population are, “bad test takers”. These facts indicate that people may believe this

standardized test is about how well you can take a test; not how smart a student is.

Every student has something special and intelligent about them that many argue cannot

be determined by a standardized test. In an article written by The Room 241 Team states how

majority of the standardized testing is multiple choice questions. Having multiple choice

questions is more of a guessing game for students, rather than open ended questions. Having

conducted an interview of three UWGB students asking if they believe multiple choice or short

answer questions tested more of their intelligence, they all said short answer does. (Gasperini,

2019) The point behind open-ended questions is that they allow students to display knowledge

and apply critical thinking skills (The Room 241 Team, 2017). Many students are engaged in

extracurricular activities and showcase their knowledge in many other ways than one

standardized, multiple choice test. Someone’s intelligence can’t be measured by their grades

and test scores, because he or she, as a person, is so much more than numbers and statistics

(Mantripragada, 2010).

Some students have a very poor GPA, very low work ethic, but excel on one

standardized test because they have very little test anxiety. The ACT/SAT can somewhat be a

holy grail for those types of students. They believe that they can barely pass high school because
 Andreski 3

if they do so well on this test they will automatically get accepted. This is not 100% true because

in that case admissions would have to look at those grades and account that for something.

Although some colleges or an acceptance into a program sees the high-test score, they

automatically assume that one has extreme intelligence. The point being made is even for those

students who believe the ACT/SAT is the holy grail, it is not.

One of the largest issues that comes along with a standardized test being the determining

factor into the admission process, is the extreme stress that puts on an individual. When someone

is told they have to do well on the test, it is automatically all they can think about. When a person

is stressed out, it inhibits many things. The person will not be able to concentrate anymore,

whether it be in the classroom or outside of school. It affects a person’s sleep patterns causing

them to be more tired and drowsy. It can also inhibit a person from eating ultimately leading to

engage in improper eating habits. Researchers studying cognitive impairment, report decreased

memory capacity in stressed individuals. Also, studies employing MRI technology indicates that

chronically stressful conditions correspond with selective damage in the human brain (Hayes,

1994). When students are stressed because of a test they can engage in unusual and improper

behavior because of the brain sending these signals of stress. Many students will act out or even

begin vomiting in class or out of school.

Stress not only triggers unusual patterns and behaviors, it can potentially lead to many

fatal illnesses. Scientists have known for years that there's a connection between stress and heart

attacks. For over 50 years studies have shown a connection between stress and stomach ulcers as

well as depression. In any of those cases, it could end up deadly for an individual. When a

student is stressed for this test, they often tend to keep their head in a book or laptop causing

them to be sitting for a long period of time in an ill posture position. This can often times lead to
 Andreski 4

disk tears, spinal stenosis and scoliosis as a person grows up. As far as short-term stress effects

that the student may endure is a weekend immune system. With a weaker immune system, a

person is much more susceptible to infection. Stress can also have an indirect effect on the

immune system as a person may use unhealthy behavioral coping strategies to reduce their stress,

such as drinking and smoking (McLeod, 2010). One standardized test could end up taking a

student’s life.

Some people do believe that standardized testing should be the key factor in the

admission process even after knowing that. The “people” with the strong opposing views will

often be the dean of colleges or programs, teachers, and also some of students as well. The

students that are in favor of the ACT/SAT being weighed so high believe that this

standardized testing provides them with a chance to set themselves apart from their high

school (The Room 241 Team, 2012). Some children strive to show off their hard work and do

not have test anxiety being a factor that affects them. Teachers and administration will argue that

standardized testing acts as an equalizing force, providing colleges with certain data points that

compare students and their “education level.” They believe that one score does define the person

and that is the only factor that separates one student from another. Many of times they believe

that a standardized test does measure overall intelligence but have forgotten to take in any other

aspect that could make that student have a much greater strive to do well than the one who

scored well on one test. The state and teachers argue that standardized test give them a pathway

to follow while teaching. Without having the structure of a standardized test and the information

on it, a lower level teacher could be teaching the same content as one teaching at a much higher

grade. They believe that having this guidance also keeps students who move from one school

district to another from being behind or ahead in their new school (School and Childcare Search
 Andreski 5

service, 2013). Teachers are teaching standardized test because that is what the law regulations

are. Many of times what is on these standardized tests do not help a child in their everyday life

and overlook extremely important aspects. It is by law, that a standardized test is the requirement

still to this day, but changes are slowly coming.

Taking a look at the pros of standardized testing, the stance against standardized testing

still is much greater. Weighing the pros and cons, the cons are much more impactful and serious.

40-60% of students have extreme test anxiety (Morton, 2015). That is something that simply

does not go away and affects testing scores extremely. The persons brain is so focused on stress

and the anxiety of the test that they cannot remember anything that they had put so much time

into studying. A student is simply a bad test taker. While majority of students have and possess

test anxiety, how can one test determine anything except how stressed it can make someone.

Every individual is unique and possess characteristics that separates them from the rest.

Standardized testing is multiple choice questions and does not let the student show who they are

and all of the accomplishments they have made. One may excel in critical thinking, problem

solving, life events, and that will not be shown with one standardized test score. The admission

process is doing nothing but comparing numbers and picking the highest one rather than

evaluating other extremely important things such as GPA, previous grade records, and other

accomplishments of that student. Having so much weighing on one test, students begin to stress.

Stress is extraordinarily unhealthy and can affect an individual’s mood and cause unhealthy

behaviors (McLeod, 2010).

While gathering this research it was very hard to find why people thought the ACT/SAT,

or any standardized test was weighed so high. This is important because it goes to show how

many people are against it. The way to fill in that blank would be conducting more interviews
 Andreski 6

form college administration. The main thing that was discussed was how the standardized test

was blue print for teachers. They know the end goal in high school is for the student to do well

on the ACT and get a good ranking for the school. That being the very few pros of this test being

weighed so heavy, it sure does make a person re-think the true meaning behind that test.

References

Gasperini, Lexy, Angeli, Erin, Holsten, Kassie. "ACT/SAT." Personal interview. 19 Feb. 2019.

Mantripragada, T. (2017, June 10). Why Standardized Testing Doesn't Define You. Retrieved

April 12, 2018, from http://affinitymagazine.us/2017/06/09/why-standardized-testing-

doesnt-define-you/

Pay for College - Where to Find College Scholarships, bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-

in/testing/8-things-to-know-about-how-colleges-use-admission-tests.

(n.d.). Retrieved April 05, 2018, from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress.aspx

SiOWfa15: Science in Our World: Certainty and Controversy. (n.d.). Retrieved April 05, 2018

from https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/2015/09/10/can-people-be-bad-test-takers/
 Andreski 7

T. (2017, December 08). Do Standardized Tests Accurately Show Students' Abilities? Retrieved

April 05, 2018, from https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/news/do-standardized-

test-show-an-accurate-view-of-students-abilities

Tests Stress = Problems For Students. (2016, November 29). Retrieved April 05, 2018,

from https://brainconnection.brainhq.com/2000/07/12/tests-stress-problems-for-

students/

Thompson, R. (n.d.). Too Much Test Stress? Parents, Experts Discuss High-Stakes Standardized

Test Anxiety. Retrieved from http://news.wjct.org/post/too-much-test-stress-parents-

experts-discuss-high-stakes-standardized-test-anxiety