Why I believe in the S.A.T. by Muhammad Raza

 Why I believe in the S.A.T.

by Muhammad Raza

Every year, close to two million eager students take the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or S.A.T., in order to help colleges across the United States assess whether a person is a competitive applicant for their institution1. Despite the fact that many detest the S.A.T., either because they are unable to attain their dream score, or because studying for one seems monotonous and stressful, there are a few reasons why I believe the S.A.T. is a necessary component of college applications. 

Firstly, it is imperative to note that the S.A.T., a standardized test, is scored equally for every student. This is because the S.A.T. is adaptive, and although questions may vary from student to student based on how one performs in the first modules of English and Math sections, the overall scoring will take into consideration the difficulty of the questions that a student encounters in order to score the test fairly2.

Secondly, though it may be hard to conceive, the S.A.T. is an element of college applications that can help students from poor backgrounds. Studies have shown that standardized tests allow programs to recruit more academically gifted, underprivileged students, and that objective, standardized testing, can help counteract subjective criteria (specifically teacher evaluations)3. 

Lastly, through my personal experience as a high school student, I believe the S.A.T. benefits students by giving them another tool to supplement their Grade Point Average and extra-curriculars. Some students have trouble excelling in many criteria that colleges judge them by such as their grades, their extra-curricular activities, their volunteer hours, etc. I myself have trouble with some of these criteria despite being competent in others. To these students and me, the S.A.T. is an effective way to strengthen their application and make them a strong candidate for any college in the country.

The S.A.T., regardless of how it is viewed, remains a pivotal tool that benefits students and colleges alike. The benefits of having a standardized test as a way to judge a student are undeniable, which is why I believe that the SAT is necessary. Just imagine how much more difficulty students and colleges would encounter without it. 

Works Cited

1“SAT Program Results for the Class of 2023 Show Continued Growth in SAT Participation.” Newsroom.collegeboard.org, newsroom.collegeboard.org/sat-program-results-class-2023-show-continued-growth-sat-participation.

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2“Why Is My SAT Score Lower than I Expected?” Collegeboard.org, 2021, blog.collegeboard.org/why-is-my-sat-score-lower-than-i-expected#:~:text=The%20digital%20SAT%20is%20multistage. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.

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3“Dropping the SATs Hurts Poor Kids.” Https://Www.thefp.com/, 6 Mar. 2023, www.thefp.com/p/dropping-the-sats-hurts-poor-kids.