This is going to sound crazy but...

Test Preparation SAT Subject Test Preparation
1

Alright, first, some background on myself.

I am a student that has a 4.4/5.0 GPA, which isn’t too shabby. I’m a junior in high school. I play the flute and recently auditioned for Nationals. I am currently taking four AP classes, and took AP exams for those four classes.
With SAT subject tests coming up, I want to say something.

These tests are ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

You guys are probably aware of this, but AP exams and SAT IIs are the same thing. All CollegeBoard, all the same topics, just a different format. We pay close to a hundred dollars for ONE AP exam, and then we pay CollegeBoard again to take the same test just a few weeks later.

Isn’t that ridiculous?

For those that do have good scores on SATs and AP exams, that’s great! That’s really wonderful. But let’s be honest: either you’re smart, or you’ve taken a prep class/bought books/ hired a private tutor to learn the tricks. Maybe even both. Is this testing of one’s knowledge and skills, when all you learn are tricks to beat standardized tests? Face it: at times, standardized testing filters out those that have money, and those that don’t. I’m just so sick of taking so many standardized tests that are so…standard. Who cares if you’re good at SAT math, or you can get an 800 on US History. I got full score on the writing section, and a 780 on Math II which I am unfortunately retaking on June 6 to get the full 800, but I know I am not a person cultured only by standardized tests. I am someone who likes to stay up late and watch Netflix on my computer when I have the time. My favorite food is either grilled cheese or anything with avocado. I’m getting my driver’s license hopefully in month. My grandparents are coming this weekend to see me perform in a concert and I can’t wait! My brother actually just came home from college yesterday. When my friends send me Snapchats that amalgamate to more than one-hundred seconds, I am peeved. I am not someone who wants numbers of some stupid tests to dominate my life. As cheesy and trite as this may be, I am not defined with numbers.

And it’s not just that. Think about it. All this standardized testing causes unnecessary stress. Bush’s ‘No Child Left Behind’ literally has zero accountability: test scores have only decreased in the past few years. The American schooling system is flawed, compared to some other countries. And let’s be real: this probably isn’t going to change in the next twenty years or so. Standardized testing. Change has always come from a small group–think back to abolitionists, civil rights leaders, anything. Is this a call-to-action? Maybe. This may also be a moment when I make myself look like some suffering student who is sick of everything. False to the first part, but true to the last part. I am sick of this.

I know we are all very smart people with diverse talents that are beyond the scope of some standardized tests. Know that I’m not some complete radical, asking for all testing to stop or claiming that all testing is inane. There’s a reason why I’m posting this in the SAT Subject Testing category.

I don’t want to believe that my entire future rests in a bunch of tests. I know my future doesn’t, but CollegeBoard is really convincing me that it is. Constantly, I think that if I don’t get an 800 on this or that, I’m a failure. I’ll never get into a top college. And then it all unfolds from there. If I don’t get into a top college, I won’t get the job I need or the money and my life will be ruined. All from whether or not you get a 600 or an 800. I know, for certain, that there are other people like me out there with those same exact thoughts. It’s amazing how these tests can be a tipping factor for us.

So bottom line. Enough is enough.

Also, is it too late to organize a boycott?
Just kidding…or am I? (I mean, it has occurred before and quite recently).

Oh, and another bottom line: CollegeBoard can go screw itself. I really should have taken the ACTs.

2

Except those tests are supposed to show your aptitude for college. Liking avocado does not mean you will do well at college.

Personality is all well and good but you’re not taking these for fun or your own health. They serve one specific purpose: to test your ACADEMIC knowledge. Which is a pretty important thing when you’re applying to college. Food preferences less so.

3

Thanks for focusing literally on one sentence out of the entire passage. I get that tests are suppose to test aptitude. Like I stated, I’m not asking to get rid of all testing. I get taking an SAT or an AP exam for college credit, but the SAT subject test is just excessive @bodangles

4

I dunno, man, the rest of it was mostly whining :wink: Does the comparison of standardized testing to the civil rights movement really need addressed, or can we just agree that’s offensive?

You don’t even have to take subject tests. Avoid schools where they’re required. Don’t submit them if they’re not required.

5

Yeah, what I’m saying is that there is an absurd amount of standardized testing. It’s not like a I have a choice anyway. If you wanna go to a good school, you have to take them. That’s the way the system is @bodangles

6

Anyway, what are you like? @bodangles

7

Ah, so it’s a prestige thing. Are there really ~160 good colleges in the whole United States??
http://www.rtsd.org/Page/1574
http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/subject-test-requirements-and-recommendations/#Req_cat
If I counted correctly from that second link, fewer than 30 “require” subject tests (vs recommend or consider, etc.). Guess people going to the other 3000 colleges are out of luck, going to bad schools and all that. :stuck_out_tongue:

What am I like? Currently, very very sleepy–it is past my bedtime, after all.

I have no doubt you’ll get lots of likes on this post, so no worries. I’m probably in the minority here!

8

Aren’t they all?

cough Fee waivers cough

What?

Be grateful that these tests are only one factor of your admissions. In other countries, tests can make or break academic choices.

And this is what the UK says about the A levels, what India says about CBSE, what Australia says about HSC. One person parrots the other.

Which is…?

How?

That’s your mentality.

Why didn’t you?

What about those who took it for the sake of learning?

A level students in the UK have to pay close to $188 PER A LEVEL. The minimum is three. And these are compulsory for them, they have to take it. Same for those who follow the curriculum in other countries.

1 hour tests are excessive? Please, there are other countries which have worse tests. On top of that, you can retake these up to 6 times a year. Most other countries don’t have that system.

I’m sorry to say it, but this is borderline whining. There are always options. There colleges that don’t need the Subject Tests. There are colleges that don’t need Standardized Tests at all. Open your eyes, and you’ll realize the flexibility of what lies in front of you. AP exams aren’t compulsory.

9

@jan117: That’s why many colleges are starting to take a holistic approach in their admissions. Tbh most people think these tests are ridiculous, but it’s the only way for colleges to differentiate from the people who are willing to spend their weekends diligently studying SAT subject tests in a local starbucks (me) vs. kids who play videogames and watch tv the whole weekend and are generally unproductive (other kids). Colleges know how important a students work ethic is even in something you have ZERO interest in.

10

I agree with JuicyMango. Taking these tests 1) allows you to see where you compare in a subject with others students who may be taking harder/easier classes in other schools, 2) let’s the adcoms see that you are diligent and capable in getting these things done. Yes, they are not who you are and they shouldn’t be and they should definitely not be the only things in your life, but the system is flawed because it’s so remarkably difficult to judge people’s talent. Maybe the tests don’t show whether someone is intelligent because they didn’t try to read through ten prep books, but if they had wanted to get into a good school, they should have found out and put in the effort they needed. It shows commitment and ambition to get in. In addition, if you’re going to say other factors should be looked at, colleges are trying. There are the essays and sometimes the interviews and the extracurriculars. While those things are probably artificial for a lot of applicants, they show a lot more than a few scores do. The problem is how subjective they are. How would adcoms know that a person who could play quidditch can survive their academic program? How would that set a baseline for applicants to try to match? Test stats are honestly the most objective out of all of these things. If that’s not what you want to be (you have a great GPA and clearly good SAT II scores so you shouldn’t even be worrying about this), you can do what you want to do and know that if you’re capable, you don’t need the school to live a great life.

11

@jan117 No, they are not. SAT tests are often used for admissions purposes; AP exams are often used to place out of introductory college credits. There are plenty of AP tests for which there are no corresponding SAT subject tests.

A couple of 1-hour tests is excessive?

I do agree that CB and the whole standardized testing system in the US has a lot of flaws, but it’s better than those of many other countries. I personally am not a huge fan of this new SAT coming up, but that’s none of my concern (hopefully), although it might be when I have kids and try to explain concepts to them. In the meantime, just deal with it.

12

As I took the SAT’s and an AP test earlier this month, all I could think of is, “the college board is a scam.” I think it’s ridiculous that I have to pay $11.25 to send TEST SCORES to one college after I paid over $50. So, believe me, I sympathize with you.

However, there are many things to take into consideration when comparing the American school system to that of other countries. For example, in Italy most teachers lecture, and most students have to spend countless hours just memorizing the true concepts from their books. I have read/heard that this method is really only good for those who can memorize.

tests just suck in general.

13

For starters, comparing the US system with others is counterproductive for you. If you’re applying to a US college, then you’ve pretty much got to accept that this is the system they use.

There are a number of “test optional” schools out there. If you “are not defined by numbers” then apply to them.

But know that once you get there, there will be tests. And they will be graded. And your performance (if not your “life”) will once again be defined by numbers. And that once you graduate, it’s very likely that you’ll be taking more tests as part of the workplace. It’s the nature of the beast.

Please don’t try to make this about NCLB or about Common Core… or for that matter, about A Nation at Risk or about LBJ’s Great Society. Schools have used tests for far longer than any political agenda in the US.

And know that there are thousands and thousands of US kids who are going to college, but who aren’t nearly as stressed out as you are about the SAT. They take a prep course-- or they don’t. They take the test in May and again in October, and apply to schools based on the results they achieve. They don’t buy into the line that a score of 600 means their lives “will be ruined.”

As to you throwaway line: "I really should have taken the ACTs. "-- you realize that the ACTs are tests, right?? And that if you had taken them, your performance would have been defined by numbers, right? All of a sudden it doesn’t sound as though the College Board is the villain here, it sounds as though you should have done your homework and taken the right test, or taken both tests.

14

These tests don’t just measure your aptitude. They are an indicator that you are willing to do what it takes to reach a substantial goal. A boycott wouldn’t work because thousands of applicants are willing to run right past you to get what they want.

My advice: 1. Keep watching Netflix and eating grilled cheese, absolutely 2 prerequisites for college (I mean that). 2. Stop whining. Nobody likes a whiner. No one. 3. Apply to the excellent test optional schools such as Bates, Union, Bard, Bowdoin, Sewanee, etc. 4. If you are serious in saying you should have taken the ACT, then take it. There is still time. Prepare over the summer. 5. With your stats and talents you will get into a great school, and quite possibly with a boatload of merit aid.