Pros

Save time
Standardized (can be given to everyone,
same expectations for all, minimum
requirement for social skills)
Can discover large scale problems
Useful for research (empirical, data, and
stats)
Problematizes curricular dynamics and
changes
Ensures public accountability
Pros and cons are political - how do you
think of learning and pedagogy?
Paradigm of perennialism and essentialism

Cons
Tendency to cheat
Test anxiety
Lack of differentiated instruction
Not good for ESL learners
Doesnt represent students overall
achievement
Hard to achieve reliability and validity
Random error
Forces teachers to create higher standards
Teacher stress
Lowers creativity
Doesnt teach life skills and other noncontent skills
Purpose and motivations for tests are not
always student-centered
Tests are often racist, Eurocentric, and thus
oppressive
Bias (test creators educational philosophy
influences the test