Standardized Testing Pros and Cons

Not only in America but throughout the world, standardized tests have become an integral part of the educational system. It has been more than 50 years, that the US education system has made standardized test as an ideal benchmark to judge student's academic performance. The American College Testing (ACT), the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), California Achievement Tests (CAT) and Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) are just some of the many standardized tests conducted in the US to assess candidates on a common platform, apparently. Every year millions of students take standardized tests and they have to answer various questions asked by darkening bubbles in OMR sheets. Students are no more strangers to standardized tests, as it is an integral part of college life, though with some sad memories. Standardized testing pros and cons have been discussed for decades and it is one of the most controversial testing techniques. Some light has been shed on standardized testing debate in this article.

List of Standardized Testing Pros and Cons

Before we begin to know more about pros and cons of standardized testing, let us know about the origin of standardized testing. Earliest account of standardized testing comes from China where Chinese government asked candidates to fill a form regarding their knowledge of Confucian philosophy and poetry. Based on the Greek and Socratic methods, essays were the main source of testing students in western world. As industrial revolution changed the world, students and kids were not much introduced to farming and agriculture. Gradually, they were put behind desks and there emerged standardized testing in a more modified form, as it was easier and faster method to judge large number of students. By the world war II, IBM came with up with a computer processor that could read darkened pencil marks on answer sheets. Henceforth, standardized testings have evolved as a major tool to assess students. There are lots of pros and cons of standardized testing in schools and certainly, the truth lies somewhere in the middle of them. Moreover, understanding pros and cons of standardized testing requires an in depth study of the impact of this type of educational testing system on students, which in itself is a daunting task.

Pros of Standardized Testing

    * It is easier to assess a large number of students using standardized tests, as the use of computers makes it easy to check answer sheets.
    * It is more accountable and accurate, as the computers check the OMR sheets. There is hardly any scope for error. Hence, testing system becomes extremely transparent.
    * It results in faster and timely results. There is no waste of time, as student's can get their results even on the spot, or very soon after exams have been conducted.
    * Everyone is assessed on same platform irrespective of different courses, teachers, schools and any other criteria.

Cons of Standardized Testing

    * Learning is not objective and it is not just about memorizing facts and figures. Scholars have judged standardized testing to be a very mechanical way to test students.
    * One can answer maths questions by logic in standardized testing, but when it comes to history and arts, how can Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) provide a total understanding of the student's ability?
    * To prepare students for standardized tests, there is a common syllabus in many schools and many students become mechanical in their approach to study. They'll memorize the day American Civil War broke out, but they won't know why and how did it broke out. This hinders their ability to understand American culture and history, from a closer perspective.
    * Students who don't have very good school facilities in the form of excellent teachers or good resources, may feel disadvantaged in these tests.
    * Since syllabuses vary for every State, it is difficult to combine and provide a common syllabus for Standardized testing.
    * Schools are graded on their performance and that depends on number of students passing standardized tests. Hence, in a race to be ahead, instead of in depth teaching, schools just focus on standardized test preparation.
    * Creativity and critical thinking skills can't be judged based on standardized tests.

These are apparently some of the most widely accepted standardized testing pros and cons. Certainly, when arguments for both sides are weighed, we will find that standardized testing can't possibly test students on creativity and communication. While for sciences, it can be a great tool to asses students, making it compulsory for humanities seems a way too far. Also, we need to think if academic scores or good ACT or SAT scores are the real reflection of a student's talent? May be a student has the potential to become a great singer but caught in the rut of exams. Scholars need to rethink about the effectiveness of standardized tests in the last 50 years. Only that can present before us the true picture of standardized tests pros and cons in a more emphatic manner.