Editor’s note: This story is part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Workshop for Bay Area high school students, a two-week intensive course in journalism. Students in the program report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.
Being thrown into a world pandemic during my freshman year at Santa Clara High School destroyed every ounce of confidence I had for scoring well on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. My main priority was safety – not studying for the single test that would determine my entire future.
Though I had ignored studying for the exam, the lingering thought of failure kept creeping back inside of me. What if I’m the only one putting it off? What if I don’t go to a good college?
I wish I could go back in time and let 14-year-old me know that she would be fine. I wish I could have told her that success doesn’t come from a standardized test score. However, there was a time when this was true.
The SAT, a pencil-and-paper multiple choice exam covering various subjects within mathematics, reading and writing, was first used in 1926 and has been used at schools all over the world ever since. Its purpose is to measure a student’s readiness for college, and it is used as data analysis to compare students with one another.
Despite this, the SAT was never a test of intelligence, as it only measures a student’s ability to sit down for three hours answering needless questions.
Another defect of the SAT is the advantage that wealthy students have over others.
It is common for affluent students to hire a tutor or buy SAT prep books. However, not everyone has the luxury to do so. They clearly have the upper hand when taking this exam. It is not fair.
The test also fails to acknowledge a student’s true skills, such as creative thinking and communication, which may apply to future aspirations and careers.
For instance, how can the SAT be beneficial when deciding whether an individual should become a veterinarian? An actor? A musician? No question within the exam evaluates one’s raw passion and motivation for a career they hope to pursue.
Due to the pandemic interfering with students’ educations, a series of colleges — including University of California schools, California State University schools and a few Ivy Leagues — have decided to go SAT-optional for students. This news gave me and my peers instant relief.
I’ve already taken the SAT. I scored well but not as good as I had hoped. I am thrilled to know that I can apply to lots of colleges without sending in any test results.
However, many private and public colleges and universities still require the SAT. Let’s terminate the test while we have the chance.
Eryn Gandotra is a rising senior at Santa Clara High School.
Source: www.mercurynews.com