Standardized tests are a staple of the American education system. These “general aptitude” tests are meant to gauge a student’s academic abilities and are a large factor in college acceptance. The PSAT, SAT, and ACT tests are notorious amongst high school students for being daunting exams; the most popular being the SAT. The SAT has a notorious reputation, giving students goosebumps and anxiety at the mention of it. There are people who want to abolish standardized tests altogether like the people who, when considering the statistics, claim standardized tests discriminate against minorities.  This seems to be the main reason people oppose standardized testing, but the fact of the matter is that these tests are effective in objectively measuring the academic abilities of students.

To get technicalities out of the way, it must be made clear what exactly the SAT is and how it is used. The SAT, according to the administer of the test, College Board, “is more focused on the skills and knowledge at the heart of education. It measures what you learn in high school [and] what you need to succeed in college.” This is apparent as the SAT only tests your abilities in core academic skills: reading, writing, and math. Dr. Rebecca Ortiz, a psychology professor at Santa Ana College, states that the SAT is mainly a measure of general intelligence along with your long-term retention, which is in agreement with what the College Board claims.

What this implies is that you had to pay attention in class: you have to know how to solve systems of equations, do the algebra that you’ve been taught in high school, and analyze what you read as well as know how to write properly. As for its use, the student body of the United States is aware that they will be submitting their SAT scores as part of college applications and it will be one of the deciding factors in their admittance.

But why do we have to take a standardized test to get into college? Aren’t our grades good enough? Questions like these and many others are often thought of by students who are perhaps intimidated by the SAT or, perhaps, bored with the prep and stressed from the pressure. It takes a lot of work and a lifetime of learning to perform well on the SAT. However, that is what makes the SAT such a good assessment. It truly “measures what you learn in high school (and) what you need to succeed in college,” as College Board states. College Board also maintains the claim that neither grades nor the SAT alone are concrete predictors in college success based upon their data. However, when used in combination, they are the best form of assessment we have for predicting college success.

What can be learned from this is that it would be wise of a student to take the SAT seriously as your score tells you just how academically prepared you are to meet the demands of college education. As scary, stressful, and perhaps boring as they can be, standardized tests are important in the American Education System.