Over the past couple years, schools around the world have recently started to stray away from standardized testing. Even some colleges have started to wonder if looking at SAT or ACT scores actually determine how smart you really are. Many things can affect how well  you do on a test, such as test anxiety and how much money you have to spend on a tutor.

Test anxiety has had a major impact on students’ grades which does not seem fair given that its uncontrollable. According to oxfordlearning, “Students who struggle with test anxiety typically fall a half a letter grade below their peers. In addition to academic impacts, test anxiety can affect a student’s mental health, including lowered self-esteem, confidence, and motivation.” 

Even though some students go through phases or periods of time struggling with test anxiety, others suffer from it 24/7 just worrying about the next test they have to take, even if they are fully prepared for it.

Although it is not Right that the amount of money you have can greatly affect your academic achievements on tests it is something that happens very ofton. Most students when they are sophomores or juniors start to prepare for the SAT/ACT including  getting a tutor.  

According to prepscholar “You just need someone who can explain the answers to you, which should cost anywhere from $30-50/hr. If you need more help with accountability, structuring your study time, and learning test content and/or strategies, though, we recommend a higher quality tutor (anywhere from $80-200/hr.)” 

Depending on how much help preparing you need for the tests will affect the price, and some students who are not offered or can not afford a tutor are already at a disadvantage which does not see fair.

Over the years, more and more people have realized that standardized tests are not a good  representation of how smart you are. Even though some schools continue to look at SAT or ACT or other test scores, schools like the University of Chicago, Colorado College, Montana State University, and other ones do not require SAT or ACT tests to be accepted. So why have no  other major colleges started to adapt to what these other places are starting to do .  

In conclusion, I do not  think standardized tests are a good representation of how smart somebody is because there is s so many different factors that play into what their scores are going to come out to that has nothing to do with actual intelligence.