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Joseph Handorf

Professor Calhoun

English Comp. 1

6 December 2019

Should Colleges Forget the ACT and SAT Scores?

Who knew that a test could impact one’s future so drastically. As a part of growing up,

teenagers all over the world are faced with problems and challenges that they will need to

overcome. Whatever it may be, all these things bring potential stress upon them. To add to those

situations, high school brings so many students to stress about their grades, sports, friends,

family, and mostly, their futures. It seems to be so unfair that high school has such a significant

role in the majority of the student’s futures. Specifically the score of one test. Every student at

some point will have to take the ACT or SAT tests as most colleges require it. The ACT and

SAT test scores are the main indicator that a college looks at as a deciding factor for their

acceptance process. Every student is aware of this and most do not look forward to it. The

thought of knowing that all 4 years of high school is supposed to prepare a student for this 1 test

in hopes of getting accepted into their college of choice, is unnerving. However, why should

these tests reflect a student’s success as it does not represent so many aspects of their education.

After countless hours of homework and all the assignments and projects worked on, should these

tests reflect who you are as a scholar, and should it decide if you get into the college of your

choice or not? The ACT and SAT tests should not represent the academic abilities of a student as

it can discriminate by income, allow opportunities for cheating and the fact that some schools are

moving away from it???

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To begin, many feel that there are a lot of problems with these requirements and that it is

in need for a change. It is known that many high school students stress over these tests and the

amount of homework and after school activities students have in their lives only add to that

worry. There are many examples of why these tests do not give enough information about a

student. For instance, the amount of income a family makes can affect how one performs on

these tests. This is one factor discussed in the article, “Is it finally time to get rid of the SAT and

ACT college admissions tests?” In this article, the author, Valerie Strauss goes into depth and

pinpoints the reasons of why these tests are unfair and corrupt based on a students household.

Strauss states, “But critics say SAT and ACT results follow a pattern of all standardized test

scores: Kids from poor families do worse than kids with more money.” This example shows that

students coming from less fortunate families or areas have an unfair advantage. This could be

because those students do not have money for the top schools in their district or that they cannot

afford a tutor. Sadly, that leaves those who are less fortunate on their own, and without the right

education and preparation, those tests can be quite difficult. Also, the ACT and SAT have been

known to have cheating scandals. Strauss states in her article, “... including repeated cheating

scandals and fundamental questions about the value of the scores. Now, the testing giants find

themselves again defending the integrity of their exams.” This example could very well be an

issue regarding the test scores that a student receives. Due to the SAT and ACT reusing test

questions and making every test with the same format and questions, it is very likely that many

students will cheat. With this being stated it shows how these tests are not an honest

representation of a students academic ability.

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On the other hand, the ACT and SAT have been colleges main focus for years and it

hasn’t seemed to fail. Many colleges require an ACT and SAT score which causes these tests to

be an absolute must. There are tons of facts and reasons regarding the benefits of these tests and

why colleges base their acceptance process around these scores. In the article “Why is the

ACT/SAT So Important?” it shares many benefits of taking these tests. One reason that was

stated was, “​Your ACT or SAT score offers you another opportunity to show the college or

university how far you’ve come academically, even if your GPA is a little lower than expect or

want.” This benefits students with lower GPA’s. This is because it is hard to boost a GPA after

the first 2 years of high school. And since colleges look at the ACT and SAT scores it may catch

that schools eye. It is also known that schools offer scholarships for students with high ACT and

SAT scores. This could benefit students coming from poor or less fortunate families who may

not have the money to pay full price for college. People may not support the ACT and SAT but

these tests do have a lot of positive benefits.

Nonetheless, it is unfair that most colleges and universities still use SAT and ACT test

scores as their main measure of accepting incoming students. However, this method may slowly

be changing. In the article “Record number of colleges stop requiring the SAT and ACT amid

questions of fairness” the author, Alina Tugend shares with the readers a ton of information

regarding the ACT and SAT and how many colleges are beginning to switch to having the test

score as optional. Tungend states, “​Every 10 days, on average, another university makes these

tests optional for admission.” This means that students have the option to decide if they want to

send in their ACT and SAT scores to the college or university of their choice or not. If schools

began to disregard ACT and SAT scores and just looked at the students' success in high school,
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like GPA and class rigore, many students that do well in school but not on the tests would be just

fine getting into their college of choice. ​The ACT and SAT are also only designed for one

learning type. They are both timed tests and for those students who may not be experts in test

taking abilities might struggle. The students who are test takers, will do well on tests and are able

to sit still and focus on one assignment for a given amount of time. Then there are students that

are unable to sit for long hours and focus on one task with no time for breaks or questions. And

since these tests are timed students have little to no time for breaks or hesitation. Also the ACT

and SAT are not meant for studiers, as students can really only practice problems. The tests only

assess how fast a student can work with what they know. Many students that are good at learning

and studying are at a disadvantage. Considering this, it should be known that these tests only

benefit some test takers and it does not represent a students learning ability and that if some

colleges recognize this, then they all should.

In conclusion, the ACT and SAT tests and their scores may be outdated and are in need

for a change. Although there are some benefits, the way it represents students unfairly outweighs

those. T​hese tests should not reflect who a student is as a scholar, and should not decide if one

should get into the college of their choice or not. Overall, the standardized ACT and SAT tests

should not be looked at as significantly as they are today because they are unfair to students with

a lower income, allow opportunities for cheating and colleges are already starting to move away

from these tests.

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Work Cited

Strauss, Valerie. “Analysis | Is It Finally Time to Get Rid of the SAT and ACT College

Admissions Tests?” ​The Washington Post,​ WP Company, 19 Mar. 2019,

www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/03/19/is-it-finally-time-get-rid-sat-act-c

ollege-admissions-tests/​. Accessed on 26 November, 2019

Cairns, Hilary, and SUNY New Paltz. “Why Is the SAT Important? Why Is the ACT

Important? - College Raptor.” ​College Raptor Blog​,

www.collegeraptor.com/getting-in/articles/act-sat/why-is-the-actsat-so-important/​.

Accessed on 26 November, 2019

Tugend, Alina. “Record Number of Colleges Stop Requiring the SAT and ACT amid

Questions of Fairness.” ​PBS​, Public Broadcasting Service, 9 Oct. 2019,

www.pbs.org/newshour/education/record-number-of-colleges-stop-requiring-the-sa

t-and-act-amid-questions-of-fairness​. Accessed on 26 November, 2019

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