Saturday, April 10, 2010This marks the day that I took the most dreaded test of my life. This most dreaded test is also possibly the most important test I will take in my life. It is the test that basically decides what college I get into.
My question is, why does a standardized test control you fate? Why should this test decide my future? Here are three reasons as to why I am opposed.
Reason #1
This test is a timed test. So what, you may be thinking? Sure, timed tests aren't bad, but when you have a ridiculously small amount of time to finish long tests, you're essentially screwed. For example, the science portion of this test. You are given 35 minutes for 40 questions. Not bad if these were normal science questions. But no, these are those questions where you have to read the intro, analyze the graphs, and then answer the questions. But then when you get to the question, you have to go back and forth between the question and the graphs and by that time you're spending approximately one minute per question. The downside to this is that if you need 3 minutes to read and analyze (that's pretty speedy if you're trying to understand the experiment at hand) and then one minute per question, you are going to go over time. There are maybe seven different experiments, so that's 21 minutes, and then 40 questions, so you're going to need 61 minutes to do the exam, not THIRTY FIVE!
Going along with this, you are also given 35 minutes for 40 questions in the reading portion. This is more reasonable because you don't have to read AND analyze, you only need to read. However, you need to be a speedy reader. My discretion to this is that when you have to read quickly there is no way you are going to comprehend. So this test instead goes from a reading comprehension test to a 'let's see who can read the fastest and guess the correct answer' test.
Reason #2
Not everyone do well on standardized tests. Well duh. But what I mean by that is, people who do well in school may just be bad test takers. These people who get a 4.0 GPA shouldn't be punished because they can't pick A, B, C, D, or E...
One thing I do like about standardized testing, however, is that on the math portion, you know if you are right or wrong. They have four potential answers for you to get, and on the computation-like problems, you can easily determine which answer is the correct answer.
Reason #3
Taking this test is expensive. Taking the ACT test + Writing came to $47. For some people, this may not be a big deal, but if you do poorly on the first time, and then take it again, that's another $47...If you don't think $47 is very much, $94 certainly is. Especially for just a TEST. The problem is, you HAVE to take this test. Even if you just want to go to a small community college, the ACT is almost always required.
All in all, taking this test is a stupid method to determine one's future. It isn't fair to the student. Those reasons above give my opinion on the situation so there isn't really a need for a conclusion.
Will you take the ACT?
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