In my opinion, the SAT is not a true measure of intelligence or a student’s potential. Every student learns differently and has different strengths. In public high schools, students are taught in a way that will help them perform well on one standard test. This takes away from learning things that will help them perform well outside of the classroom and in college. It is disappointing that a school system will keep a kid for four years only to teach them how to take one test well. Kids who are not in public school have an advantage because they are not taught for four years to take one test well. I am homeschooled, so my education has been geared to help prepare me for college and the real world. I have not been taught in a way that will help me answer questions on one test. School should help you learn standardized tests such as the SAT have become so important schools have changed the way they teach so students will do well on it. One test should not be allowed to be that important. Therefore, one test can not fit every student. This test expects everyone to have learned the same way. Some people may not be strong academically, but they could be very good with hands-on projects. This test does not give those students a chance to shine because it groups multiple kids in a classroom and expects them to be able to sit still for multiple hours but still perform well. This test also shines a poor light on those with testing anxiety. Personally speaking, big tests cause me major anxiety and my mind will be completely blank. This test has put an emphasis on how you will determine if you can get into college. This caused me much anxiety and I did not perform well. One test should not have the power to determine your future for you. Another issue I have with this test is that the math is not that complex so smarter students do not perform well on this particular section. I have taken up to College Calculus 1 but the SAT only covers up to Algebra 2. Most intelligent students take the SAT their junior year even though they have not seen Algebra 2 since ninth grade. It is very likely that the student will not do well, and that does not reflect their intelligence, because the student has not seen this form of math in multiple years. The SAT is a great tool for students who want to use it but it has too much power over a student’s future. It does not care for the diversity of learning or students’ disabilities. We need to start using it as a tool instead of the deciding factor of students’ futures. The SAT does not reflect your true potential, it only states that you can take one test well. One test does not define you as a person and standardized tests should not affect admissions decisions.
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