Testing, Testing, 1 2 3!

The phrase, “Oh, he is smart. He is just a bad test taker” never made much sense to me. I know a testing environment can seem a little intimidating, but when it comes down to it, either you know the information, or you don’t. And tests provide a very easy and efficient way of finding out what information students know and don’t know.

I know we all hate them. Standardized tests can be a pain. You spend hours upon hours studying, sometimes even taking a class devoted to one test. But you know how important that one test is, so you suck it up and do whatever is necessary to do well. Some question whether standardized testing is really necessary. Shouldn’t working hard all year to earn that ‘A’ in your class be enough? Some people think so, but they don’t take into consideration all of the advantages that come with standardized testing.

One of the biggest advantages of standardized testing is that it eliminates nearly all subjective factors. For example, the material I used in my high school English class was more then likely different than material used in other schools. This means that the things I had to do earn an ‘A’ was different from all other students (except for the ones in my class). This is why just strictly looking at grades isn’t enough. The curriculum for schools are different, while the standardized tests handed out to them are the same. It is one of the most efficient, fair ways to evaluate each student.

Another great advantage of standardized testing is their ability to evaluate how “college ready” a student is. One could argue that grades do the same thing, but sometimes students find unconventional ways to receive their desired grade. That factor is eliminated when it comes to standardized testing. The material on the tests are things that a college students are expected to know. Low test grades can be an indicator that a students needs a little more help in a particular subject before they can excel at the college level.

Although standardized tests can be a painful, they are a very effective way to gain a fair, unbiased evaluation of students. They ensure that each student will be evaluated on the exact same material. Also, they can be used in evaluaticng how a student will perform in college. Overall, standardized test are necessary so that colleges can undertake the best possible evaluation before admitting a student to their institution.