Story by Logan Tromp, Opinion Columnist
Aquinas, like the majority of Colleges, does not have a standardized testing requirement for admission. Submission of a SAT score is voluntary. This is not the case for Yale and Dartmouth, however. They have recently reinstated the requirement for their incoming students. This has reignited the age-old discussion. I have yet to find someone who actually enjoys taking the SAT, but high schoolers are still mandated to be tested. This has many wondering if it would be beneficial to require submitting standardized test scores for college?
Many universities removed the requirement because of the Covid pandemic. It was a turbulent time, to say the least, and SAT scores were just one more thing for students to worry about. Additionally, many were questioning the efficacy of such testing. An issue that many bring up during this debate is that the SAT is representative of one’s socioeconomic status rather than intellectual capabilities. Critics also argue that standardized tests benefit students who are good at testing as many students get testing anxiety. Qualities like creativity are also hard to quantify which standardized tests cannot reflect.
With these critiques in mind, one should consider the advantages that standardized tests provide. An important part of education is to prepare students for going out in the world, and everyone wants well educated, smart young people. In the quest for providing students with the best education, one has to be able to tell if students are getting more intelligent over the years. We also have to measure a student’s intelligence in an objective way. Standardized tests are a way to do this. By analyzing the reading, writing, and math scores from students, educators can tell what curriculum is benefiting students. Even if the curriculum is tailored to the test, the test should be a quality examination of a student’s knowledge, so there shouldn’t be a problem with a more tailored curriculum. On the topic of the socioeconomic background of students, while well-off students will typically always have more opportunities when it comes to SAT practicing, they also will generally have more opportunities when it comes to extracurriculars, internships, and overall preparation for college. However, if SAT requirements are removed, it would be one less metric that could help a disadvantaged student stand out and be accepted into college. Standardized tests aren’t a perfect metric by any means, but they do have their advantages.
The Saint 