The Flawed Metrics

Imagine a score that claims to define your intelligence but fails to capture your true potential. This is the reality for many students around the world. The SATs and ACTs are standardized tests that are widely used for college admissions. They’re designed to measure a student’s readiness for college-level coursework. Students that take the SAT and ACT receive a score that will be used for colleges to evaluate. Although the SATs and ACTs are used to measure academic ability, they are fundamentally flawed in measuring a student’s intelligence.

There are several compelling reasons why these standardized tests are not accurate measures of intelligence. Firstly, the SAT is composed of three main sections, such as math, evidence-based reading, and writing. The ACT consists of four multiple-choice sections, such as English, reading, math, and science. Although these skills are important, they only represent a significant portion of a student’s intelligence. For example, a writer may do well in the writing section but not so much in the math section. Just because a writer isn’t great at math, doesn’t determine their overall intelligence. These standardized tests fail to capture a student’s full range of intellectual abilities.

Secondly, students taking the SAT and ACT feel a huge amount of stress and anxiety. The high stakes the SAT and ACT have, impact a student’s future. Feelings of stress and anxiety cause students to not perform well. Not only are these standardized tests scored based on a student’s performance, but they’re also timed. Timed tests cause high pressure within students. Test takers are told it’s best not to leave a question unanswered. This causes students to guess on questions because they’ve run out of time. Guessed answers do not reflect a student’s intelligence, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Student’s need more time to think, analyze, comprehend, and respond to questions. These results don’t reflect a student’s intelligence in a real-world situation.

Thirdly, standardized tests are influenced by social class. People are based on their education, income, and job. Student’s from a higher social class have an advantage of receiving a higher test score. Higher social classes have access to better educational resources, such as private tutors, guidance counselors, advanced coursework, and career offices. Student’s from a lower social class have less access to what students from a higher social class have. This creates unfairness and leads to false impressions that students who receive better educational resources are more intelligent than those who receive no educational resources. A student’s intelligence should not be determined by one who can’t afford test preparation.

Lastly, high SAT and ACT scores don’t correlate with long-term career or academic success. Student’s with a great GPA can get just as far. GPAs are just as important as standardized tests. Students may have a high GPA but a low score on the SAT and ACT or a low GPA with a high score on the SAT and ACT. This can affect a student's chance of being admitted. A student’s GPA indicates how hard they have worked in school. This demonstrates that a SAT and ACT score don't affect a student's intelligence.

In conclusion, while the SAT and ACT can provide insight into a student’s academic ability, it is not an accurate way to measure intelligence. Relying on these standardized tests is far from fair. Both tests affect a student’s utilization of strategy, emotions, time management, and socioeconomic. Students who receive a low SAT or ACT score are overlooked due to a score that claims to define their intelligence. The flaws standardized tests have on a student's ability to have a successful future is why SATs and ACTs are not accurate ways to measure intelligence.