More than a Modest Proposal by Charity Ketu Betfian

 More than a Modest Proposal

In our great and flawless United States of America, the country of freedom and the

land of opportunities and equality, we have about 15.3 million highschool students, of

which over 8 million of them are required to take the SAT/ACT in their junior or senior

year or else their lives immediately start taking a negative turn. These prime tests are a

requirement to most high learning institutions as they evaluate one's intellectual

capacities based on them alone, regardless of time and effort put into graduating with

an outstanding GPA and a perfect transcript and resume. Having a high test score is

considered a blessing to some as it paves a smooth road to their future. Failing this test

is just like driving to a bridge and jumping right in. The excessive importance given to

these test scores, if not altered, will most likely lead to the creation of a distinct society

where students are classified based on a test score and the course of their lives will be

forehand determined.

I think we can all agree that the SAT score is the only way of determining our talent,

skills and abilities, ambitions, passions, communication skills, as they are null in the real

world. This test score is the determining factor in whether our lives go right or wrong. In

a world where all are striving to have that perfect score, it will only be fair if those who

actually get there are rewarded and those who don’t, well they will have reaped off what

they sowed. Factors like low income, stress and anxiety won’t be included as a reason

for getting a low score because they are not really important and valued reasons in our

society. Those who get high scores, the “smart” ones, will become the rulers of the

society as they are entitled to very bright futures. These people can’t be associated with

low-scorers as their reputation will be tarnished and can’t have meaningful

conversations because of the intelligence gap. The “dumb” ones, the failures and

disgraceful societal members, their futures will be doomed. They will most likely be

expelled from their families because of that deplorable score. They won’t be able to get

higher education nor a good job because employers only require a high SAT score for

your resume to look good. Also, good luck explaining to your children why they are

bullied in school all because you couldn’t study enough to be an important member of

society. How beautiful will it be to live in a community where there’s a clear difference

between the “smart” and the “dumb” and having that cycle through generations based

on the ultimate test score.

After all, my proposal only further enhances the importance of these test scores

in our lives, but of course I am open to other terrific opinions. I am sure people might

suggest lame ideas like getting rid of the exam; reducing its importance for the college

board; or even valuing these test scores as the time and effort put into extracurricular

activities and volunteering. But before someone tries to contradict me, they should be

sure to find a better solution that would benefit our society, rewarding those who study

endlessly for a perfect test score and punishing those who sleep all day long. I’ll

conclude by saying, as a good citizen all i wish is the best for this country, and the best

will be living in a society where people are classified based on the ultimate knowledge

tester; the SAT test score. So, if you are a student reading this, I suggest you start

ignoring all activities and concentrate on your SAT preparation. This score will

determine your entire fate and I cannot emphasize enough on how life-changing and

important this score is.

Works Cited

“Over 2.2 Million Students in Class of 2019 Took SAT, Largest Group Ever.”

Newsroom,newsroom.collegeboard.org/over-22-million-students-class-2019-took-

sat-largest-group-ever.

Lee, Amelie. “Standardly Satirical: SAT, More than Just a Number.” The Bull's Eye,

dbbullseye.com/2017/standardly-satirical-sat-more-than-just-a-number/.

Anderson, Seth. “The PSAT: If It Is Broke, Fix It!” The Raider Wire,

nfhsraiderwire.com/showcase/2015/12/08/the-psat-if-it-is-broke-fix-it/.