As spring draws ever closer, Brighton High School students are starting to feel the pressure of what this season entails. The prospect of summer days away from school pushes everyone forward, but for juniors, they must first face the reality of SAT season—a quest to get a score that is proof of years of hard work, late-nights and studying. The SAT has become a defining moment for many high school students, but should it really carry as much weight as it does?
For years, the SAT has been considered a key factor in college admissions. Created to give colleges a standardized way to compare students from different schools, it was ultimately meant to level a competitive playing field. On the surface, the idea makes complete sense. Not all high schools offer the same courses or grade on the same scale, so a universal test should in theory be a fair solution.
But in reality, the SAT doesn’t feel universal.
Access to prep for the exam varies widely. Some people can afford expensive tutors, preparation programs and multiple test attempts. Others rely on free resources or go in with little-to-no prep at all. While the test itself may be standardized, the preparation to get ready for it is not. That begs the question of whether the SAT actually measures academic ability or if it simply measures a student’s access to resources.
Beyond the fairness aspect of it all, there’s also the issue of what the SAT actually measures. The exam itself focuses heavily on math, reading and writing abilities under a strict time limit. While those skills have proven to be of utmost importance, they only represent a fraction of what students learn in their time at high school. It doesn’t reflect growth over four years or the effort behind a challenging schedule.
Instead, the SAT measures how well a student does on one specific day.
Test anxiety is real, and for many students, it can massively impact performance. And on a test like the SAT, even the slightest flux in performance can heavily affect an individual’s future. An academic weapon of a student might struggle in a high-pressure, timed testing environment. Should a single score outweigh years of consistent academic performance?
Many colleges, in recent years, have been reconsidering the role of the SAT (and ACT) in college admission processes. With an influx of schools adopting a test-optional policy, admissions offices seem to be reconsidering the necessity of standardized testing when looking at the next generation of college students. This shift suggests that, at the end of the day, a number is not truly representative of a student’s abilities.
High school should be about growth, exploration and preparing for a life beyond high school and, subsequently, college. It should encourage students to take risks, pursue passions and develop skills that can’t be measured with a single-attempt test. The SAT may provide a snapshot of certain academic skills, but it certainly doesn’t tell the whole story.
