Subscribe to The CutlassNews FeedSubscribe to The CutlassComments

Home > Opinion > Is the ACT the best way?

Is the ACT the best way?

Related Content

Bobby Zuiss, Editor-in-Chief
October 23, 2009
Filed under Opinion

Each year, senior students stress out about the same thing–selecting a college. Finding a good college isn’t all that difficult, most require a reasonable GPA or class rank.  But all four-year colleges in Missouri require one thing–submitting an ACT score.
 
The ACT isn’t just another test, it requires a student to take time out of their Saturday and pay over $30 to sit it a testing room for four hours. The test isn’t just about things that they’ve been learning in recently, either. It basically covers everything they have ever learned about reading, English, math and science throughout their entire life. This huge span of subjects makes it extremely difficult to study for the ACT.

Preparing for for the test can be extremely difficult, especially during the school year. After a long day of school, many students go to sports and even have homework after practice. After all of this who wants to study for the ACT? Though many students simply have a “just get it over with” mindset, some take it over and over again with hopes of raising their score.

The ACT is designed to test a student’s readiness for college. This means if you score well on the reading portion of the test, you are theoretically prepared to read college level text. To further complicate matters, there is even an optional writing test available for an extra cost. The writing test is actually required by some colleges if you plan on majoring in communications, English, etc.

I believe that the ACT does not accurately reflect a student’s readiness for college. Instead, it reflects how proficient a student is at taking standardized tests.  The term “standardized test” is the main reason students can easily prepare for the ACT. The test is always the same in terms of subject and question type which makes each test essentially the same. If you know how the test works, you will be able to perform much better on it. For example, the reading test will always have the same four subjects; prose fiction, social science, humanities, and natural science. There are always questions that test the reader on using context clues and inferences. With practice, anyone can master the question types presented by the test writers.

Thankfully, not all scholarships require a high score on the ACT. Many look at extracurricular activities and GPA in order to have a more rounded view of a student. I believe that this is the best way to find who is most deserving of scholarships. Should an unmotivated student who doesn’t try in school but scores high on a single test receive a large scholarship? Are they really ready for college because of a simple number derived from a four hour test?  Sure, they might have the knowledge, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have the mindset higher education requires.

While I think the test does gauge knowledge of a student, I think less emphasis should be placed on it. Although the test does make it easier for colleges to sort through the thousands of prospective students, some students may never have the opportunity to attend a college because of the test.

Comments

The Cutlass will only accept comments from students and community members who provide their name and valid email address. We reserve the right to edit, limit and delete comments for clarity and content.

Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!