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Standardized testing is important for a plethora of reasons. In recent years, tests such as the ACT and SAT have become optional for many colleges' admissions process. At Andover Tutoring Scene, because of these recent trends to make standardized testing optional, we believe it is imperative for students to take these tests and take them seriously. Standardized tests provide accountability, consistent national benchmarks, and exponentially increase the likelihood of achieving scholarships and entering prestigious schools.
Accountability
Unlike many tests students take weekly in their schools, students cannot cram for standardized tests at the last minute. To do well on the ACT or SAT, students must have built a repertoire of skills including reading comprehension, logic, data interpretation, and concise communication. All of these skills are imperative for any person who wants to be successful at their professional endeavors. Theoretically, students should be practicing these skills daily in the classroom, and one of the best ways to ensure they are absorbing these skills is via standardized testing. Every classroom environment is different, and it is important for these students to display they have acquired these core skills despite the variety of educational experiences they may have had.
National Benchmarks
These standardized tests not only hold students accountable for the skills they've acquired, but also the educators. Teachers want their students to be successful adults, and standardized tests provide a helpful guide for educators to measure their curricula's efficacy at a national level. Over the decades, despite all the societal and institutional changes, standardized tests have remained consistent in their metrics and materials. This consistency enables students to measure themselves not only against their peers in- and out-of-state, but also compares their performance to prior generations of high schoolers. These transgenerational metrics provide insight into how our nation's education is progressing (or regressing) as a whole.
Stand Out from Your Peers
Because fewer colleges are requiring standardized tests today, at Andover Tutoring Scene, we believe these tests should be taken even more seriously by students, given the highly competitive nature of university admissions and scholarships. Now that the tests are optional, fewer students across the country will take the initiative to excel at the ACT and SAT. Adding a strong ACT score to your college application will set you further apart from your peers now more than ever. Also, considering the rising costs of tuition, the competition for scholarships has skyrocketed. Receiving a strong score on any standardized test is essential to differentiate students with equal GPAs.
Our goal at Andover Tutoring Scene is to improve standardized test-taking, because we still believe that the ACT and SAT provide accountability, benchmarks, and distinction for students who choose to take them. Our ACT Test Prep service focuses on the core skills necessary to succeed not only on the exam, but all future courses and professional performance. To improve your student's capabilities in reading comprehension, logic, data interpretation, concise communication, and more, enroll in our ACT Prep Course or sign up for private lessons today!