Problem Statement
Test scores from the ACT and SAT are a main part of college admission applications today. Some view them as a necessary part of the application because it’s an easy way to see how prepared a student is for college and how his/her scores compare to other applicants’ scores. While those entrance exams are a good way to categorize and compare students, there is too much emphasis placed on scores and not enough on all the other work the student has accomplished.
Background
The ACT is a standardized test that is meant to predict a student’s first-year college success. It has been around since 1959 and is predominate in the Southwest, Deep South and Midwest. The ACT last for four hours consisting of four individual tests: English, Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning. Scores from the ACT range from 1-36. The SAT, similar to the ACT, is predominate on the East and West Coasts. There are three SAT sections: Math, Critical Reading, and Writing. Scores range anywhere from 200 to 800.
Thesis
Some people would argue that college admissions test should have a huge emphasis on them. I believe they are looked at too heavily because you don’t always get accurate results, it doesn’t show your high school career, and it puts too much stress and pressure on students.
Arguments
One important reason why standardized test should not be looked at so heavily is because it doesn’t always give accurate results. The ACT and SAT are not very good predictors of how well a student understands the subjects being tested. Since the tests are multiple choice, a student could easily guess and get the correct answer. Just by guessing, a student could get the right answer and make his/her score higher even when they didn't even know the answer. Multiple choice tests do not guarantee that you understand how you got the correct answer because there is no way to explain or show reasoning. Since college is more