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Jordyn Watt

Mike Arneson

English 105

April 23, 2019

Argumentative Paper

Getting into your favorite college is already hard enough because if you do not have

enough money or scholarships your dreams could be crushed in an instant . On top of all this, you

have to think about your ACT or SAT scores. Because that is what really makes or breaks your

college dreams. A student worth should not be put on an exam that you pay for under pressure ,

but it should be how they did in high school classes and what they took in high school also . I

know a lot of people who made really high scores on the ACT and the SAT but did poorly in

classes. Yes, I understand that the ACT and the SAT are not the only thing colleges look at , but

those scores do matter to what classes you can and not take your first year of college . I am a

great example of this. My ACT score was an 18 my reading score was a 16 and so was my math .

For this reason, I had to take summer classes for my reading to even be in English 105 and I

have to take a lower level of math to take the math class that is recommended for me . In school,

I did amazing in these classes and worked hard to get the grades I wanted . But the ACT showed
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me that "I was not ready enough" for those classes when I just don ’t do well on a standardized

test, I never have. The ACT and SAT ’s History is very important on how it all came about . The

“what is” the ACT and SAT are important too. But when you get into how the ACT/SAT is

misused, are these tests coachable, or do they even matter anymore. Is the bigger picture that we

need to look at in today’s society.

In 1905 Alfred Binet started the IQ test and people dabbled with it here and there but by

1926 Carl Brigham created the SAT and on June 30 th the first SAT was given to 8 ,040 students

and almost half of those were women. (PBS) The SAT was designed to assess your learning

rather than trying to master the subjects you already learned . (History) They scored the SAT’s

by hand and the scoring was done by men . According to History, " The First SAT was very hard

for students because there were 315 questions and you only had 97 min to complete all of them ."

In 1937 the test fee to take the SAT was $10 but in today ’s money that is $155 which is crazy

expensive. In 1958 students were finally allowed to view their own test scores . In 1959 the ACT

program was founded by Ted McCarrell and E.F. Lindquist. Each section of the test at the time

was 45 minutes long (3 hours) and the fee was $3 which is about $23 in today ’s money. I would

much rather have this price now. The ACT was the first test to be scored by computers and you

could not take the ACT more than once. Most people I know would be in trouble even myself if

we could only take the ACT once . In 1968, according to PBS, "The University of California

begins requiring applications to submit SAT scores only if their GPA was less than a 3 .1." I wish
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this never changed because this is relating to my point about how your GPA should be more

important than your test scores. (History)

What is the ACT and the SAT? The ACT use to stand for “American College Testing ."

But no longer stands for that anymore it is just the letter ACT . The ACT is an alternative to the

SAT. Colleges are starting to have “test optional ” or “test-flexible”, basically letting the students

decide if that want to send in their ACT or SAT scores . Some schools have the ACT plan test

which is basically a pre-test student can take to see what they could make on the ACT . I took this

test my sophomore and junior year in high school and it gave me my hopes when the actual ACT

came around. (Kristen) The ACT is a standardized test that colleges use the benchmarks that

you make to know where to place you in classes. There are four sections on the ACT: Reading,

Math, English, and Science. There is also an optional essay you can take if your college requires

you to take it. English is 75 questions for 45 minutes long . The reading section is 40 questions

and 35 minutes long. The math is the longest and most dreadful , 60 questions and 60 minutes

long. Last but certainly least the science portion which you have 40 questions and 35 minutes

long. The ACT cost $52 but there is another option called “fee waiver” so , if you cannot afford

the test or you come from a low-income family you can take the test for free . The best timing for

taking the test is the winter and spring of your junior year . The highest score you can make on

the ACT is a 36 (Khan Academy). According to Lucas, "The SAT stood for Scholastic Aptitude

test from the 1920s to the 1990s." After years of trying to rename the test, they shorten it to just

the letters SAT just like the ACT . I think it is neat that they both do not stand for anything
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anymore because it is just like KFC, it uses to stand for Kentucky Fried Chicken but now it does

not. Just the letters KFC. The SAT is also a standardized test that colleges use to see where you

fall with the other students. There are three sections on the SAT that have multiple categories in

each one of them. The first section is critical reading which has three sections in all but the first

one is two 25 minute sections with 48 passage-based questions . The last section of the critical

reading is a 20-minute section with 19 sentence completion questions . The math has three

sections the first one has two 25 minute sections with 44 multiple choice questions . The last

section of the math is a 20-minute section with 10 grid-in questions . The writing portion also has

three sections also. The first section is one 25 min essay which has 25 improving sentences . The

next section is another 25-minute section with 18 identifying sentence error questions . The last

and final section of the writing portion has one 10 minute section with 6 improving paragraph

questions. The total score you can get on the SAT is between a 600-2400 . The ideal time to take

the SAT is the winter of your junior year . The SAT also cost around $52 but they do not do the

fee waiver that the ACT provides for low-income families . (prep scholar) I prefer the SAT over

the ACT in my opinion just because you have a more chance of getting answers right on the

SAT. From personal experience, I took the SAT one time and go the score I wanted but when I

took the ACT I could never reach my potential score . I understand that the SAT and the ACT are

supposed to help colleges see where you are supposed to be placed in college but they might

have done poorly in high school and will do poorly in college too . I will get into that situation

when I talk about if the ACT or the SAT really matters anymore.
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The SAT and the ACT are misused in multiple ways: cut off scores , getting your

education denied, and having scholarships deny you as well . The ACT flaws have serious

problems. The score you get could not make the “cut off ” score that colleges set for students to

make to get into that particular college . Not being able to get into your favorite college because

of the ACT score you got is ridiculous . According to Fair test, “In 1962, Mississippi’s higher

education board instituted a minimum ACT requirement for admissions that was eight points

above average black student’s scores in the state.” I am happy that times have changed but I still

think it is sad that colleges still use “cut off scores ” for students to get into college . Your

education should not get denied if you want to do something that you love just because of a score

based on how well you can take a test . Scholarships are another big thing for you to have when

you go to college because this stuff isn ’t cheap. We have all seen this in writing somewhere

when applying for scholarships, “you must have a certain ACT score to apply for this

scholarship.” You check everything off about what you did in high school and how you did it

and the grades you received but once you hit “ what is your ACT score it must be higher than

this to apply its literally game over . Now I understand that scholarships are competitive , but

shouldn’t you give everyone a chance? (Fair Test) For years they were using raw state SAT test

scores to make a conclusion about the quality of education in the United States . According to

Harvard Education, “The SAT was misused in public deliberations over the past decade .” Just

like the ACT, most colleges have a cut-off score for the SAT as well . So, the same rules apply to

the people who take the SAT. I mean even celebrities are going to great lengths to get their
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children into college. It should not be that hard to get into an education system that is going to

help you in life. America is always is complaining how we have just lazy people doing nothing

and its either they thought they could not get into the educational system , so they did not try or

that their scored forbid them too. This is going to bring me on to my next topic which is are these

test even coachable?

I personally believe that the ACT or the SAT is not coachable test . My mom dropped

hundreds of dollars thinking that these coachable camps with help my score go up . But little did

she know that was not the case. Having to cram all of these new skills in 3-4 days is nearly

impossible for the 5 hours you have with them. Whenever you are taking the ACT or the SAT

you are trying to think of every little hint and trick , they taught you in those 3-4 days of learning .

With someone who already has testing anxiety mine went through the roof during this ACT test .

My composite score was the lowest it has ever been . Now I do believe that if you study hard

enough you can make the score you want but just sitting down in a classroom and cramming all

this knowledge does not really work for people . You cannot coach someone on a test that you do

not know what questions will be on it. Now, according to the Ivy bound blog, “ The ACT is

more coachable than the SAT because the ACT has not changed in years so you know all the

topics that will be on that test .” I think this is really wrong because even though you might know

all the topics you have no idea what they are going to ask you . It depends on how well your

teachers prepare you or how well you prepare yourself for this test . The only teacher that helped

me was my English teacher. She helped get my score up on that section and that section only .
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She did not, however, help me with my reading score so much because you cannot really teach

someone how to increase their reading speed in such a short period of time . All my other

teachers failed to prepare me for the ACT . My math teachers especially because they did not

teach us the tricks on the calculator in time to do all the math problems in a timely manner . I do

not have much to say about the science portion other than the teachers did not give us enough

questions about it during practice time in class . All it is just graphs so if you do not know how to

read a graph that well then , that part of the test will mess you up completely . The SAT is not that

spot on to coach either. With this test, the format changes all the time so the teachers have no

clue what to teach their kids to prepare them. (Ivy Bound YouTube) Also, during some portions

of the SAT, there can be more than one answer for that question which might be helpful because

you have 50% chance instead of 25% but you still cannot coach how to guess properly . The SAT

does give you a more probable chance of making a decent score . They do what is called a super

scoring which is taking the best scores from each section and giving you your overall score . So,

if you did really bad on the math section the first time you took the test but did a whole lot better

the second time you can take the second time score and replace your first-time score . Again, I do

not agree that these tests are coachable because you can not teach someone to be a good test

taker. Also, a lot of families do not have the money to go to any ACT or SAT camps for their

child to become a better so-called "test taker ”. Now let’s look into and see if these tests are even

mattered anymore.
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Some colleges are trying to put forth the effort to even see if these test scores even

matter. Most colleges are taking the “test-optional another way by letting you just submit your

SAT score or letting you just submitting your GPA, activates you did in high school, and essays

that you wrote. The main colleges that are starting to do this are smaller liberal arts colleges and

a very small number of respected universities . Test critics say that these tests are unfair and not

even a way to judge a student on how well they did in high school . Statics have shown about

these test-optional schools have shown that: High school grades are better than tests at predicting

how well a student will do in college . Secondly, schools that were test-optional generally saw a

big boost in the number of applicants from underrepresented communities , especially lower-

income students of color. Finally, students who chose to submit their scores and those who did

not have virtually the same grades and graduation rates in college . Others have talked about how

kids with high test scores have good GPA’s. I think this is false just because of my own personal

experience. I had amazing grades in high school and worked my butt off to get them , but I could

not take test worth anything. I tried studying but nothing helped . This is also the same way with

kids who did poorly in high school classes , but their ACT/SAT scores were out of this world .

This just shows that these tests are not important , and they do not matter. Having a really high

ACT or SAT test score will not mean anything once you get in college because all that is a

number on a paper. You still have to work at your school work and if you were a terrible student

in high school what makes you think you will be an even better one in college? All these schools

that are doing test-optional are the smartest schools around for doing this and giving students an
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actual chance in life. It has been a pain this semester and it will also be a pain next semester too .

I have to take multiple remedial classes that will not even go towards my degree because I have

“too low” of scores. If we had test optional, I highly doubt I would have to take any of these

classes I am taking now because my GPA was really high in high school . Once colleges realize

that this test-optional should be an option for students they will have admissions through the roof

and maybe lower their prices just a bit . Now, I understand that some colleges only want the best

of the best and I support that one hundred percent because that is their title . But having a school

like Murray State University which is not that big and fancy at all should really think about

giving students a test-optional choice. So, now I ask myself are these test important or do they

even matter and the answer is no. I have gone through all the reasons why and how it all began

and there is no set in stone that these test should define how smart you are.

In conclusion, there is a lot of history and motivation that went into creating these two

test. Just imagine starting with the first IQ test and turning into this nationalized test students

have to take to go into college. Since from the beginning, they have been testing students

knowledge and putting each and every person in their own box . They use this test to pull apart

the scholars and fools. I have always labeled a fool because of my test scores but not for my

GPA. The test has been misused for scholarships , colleges, and cut off scores. You cannot have

or apply for a specific scholarship because your test score was not high enough . Colleges will

deny you just as much as the scholarships would . If you do not the right off score that the

colleges particularly want then you will not get into the colleges of your dream . I still do not
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believe that these two tests are even remotely coachable because it is a standardized test and you

have no clue what will be on there . Yes, you might know how to coach the concepts but not the

test itself. The ACT might be easier to coach because nothing about it has changed but from my

own personal experience, you can not cram all the skills you need in less than a week . Finally,

some colleges are starting to see that test-optional is becoming a new concept at their college .

Now students can have the option to just focus on their GPAs in high school and not have to

worry about a test that does not show how you really are as a student . So, are these test even

important anymore? Some may say yes but I say no.

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Work Cited

A (Mostly) Brief History Of The SAT And ACT Tests, www.erikthered.com/tutor/sat-act-history.html.

PBS, Public Broadcasting Service,

www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/where/timeline.html.

“About.” Harvard Graduate School of Education, www.hepg.org/her-home/issues/harvard-

educational-review-volume-66-issue-1/herarticle/the-use-and-misuse-of-state-sat-and-act-

scores_289.

“Academy of Science Committees Warn Against SAT/ACT Misuse.” FairTest,

www.fairtest.org/academy-science-committees-warn-against-sat-act-misuse.

Bound, Ivy. YouTube, YouTube, 3 Nov. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?

v=RHR5enjXFpA#action=share.

Fink, Lucas. “What Does SAT Stand For?” Magoosh High School Blog, Magoosh, 6 Nov. 2017,

magoosh.com/hs/sat/about-the-sat/2013/what-does-sat-stand-for/.
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Fracchia, Kristin. “What Does ACT Stand For?” Magoosh High School Blog, Magoosh, 17 Mar.

2019, magoosh.com/hs/act/2015/what-does-act-stand-for/.

“How Coachable Are the ACT & SAT?” Ivy Bound Test Prep, 19 Apr. 2018,

www.ivybound.net/blog/sat-articles/coachable-act-sat/.

Noise, Above The. YouTube, YouTube, 10 Oct. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HUaI2ofyo8.

SupertutorTV. YouTube, YouTube, 5 May 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn6etIzUeU4.

“Overview of the ACT.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/college-

careers-more/college-admissions/making-high-school-count/standardized-tests/v/

overview-of-act.

Heimbach, Alex. “What Is the SAT? A Complete Explanation of the Test.” What Is the SAT? A

Complete Explanation of the Test, blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-the-sat-a-complete-

explanation-of-the-test.