Every year thousands of students get filed into blank classrooms for five hours to take the ACT or SAT- but are these tests beneficial to a student’s future life in college? Many see these tests as a way to reflect on their entire life of learning, from the basic grammar they’ve learned in the seventh grade to Advanced Trigonometry they learned three weeks ago. Senior Colby Stosberg has taken the ACT in the past to reach his goal to apply for colleges.

“I think it’s stupid that one 5 hour period can determine the results of 13 years of school work,” said Colby Stosberg.

Since 1970, colleges and universities around the country have been using both the ACT (American College Testing) and SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) to determine if students will be a suitable investment option for their school. These tests are seen by colleges as a way to measure academic achievement as well as decide whether or not one should be included in the acceptance process. ACT review teacher Brett Beneke uses classes and assignments to help teach students the importance of tests like the ACT and SAT.

“I think they are treated by colleges more important than they should be, it’s to help make students look like good investment options for a school,” said Beneke.

Along with students being a financial investment, many students also struggle on standardized tests. There are around 2.3 million students in the United States with learning disabilities as well as difficulty focusing. Students who struggle on regular quizzes and tests in school show an immense amount of struggle on difficult standardized tests. Junior Mia Abnos is one among thousands of students who can have a difficult time focusing on tests.

“I do pretty well on standardized tests, even though I’m a person who struggles to focus on tests, but there are other people who struggle more than me on things like that, so I don’t think tests like the SAT and ACT are fair,” said Abnos.

Many students, parents, and teachers feel that tests like the ACT and SAT are necessary to a student’s success. The ACT and SAT allow college admissions to lower down applicants and make a decision on whether or not they will be accepted into a successful or prestigious college.

“I think that tests like ACT are necessary but colleges need to take responsibility to help ensure that project-based learning is a part of the admissions,” said Stosberg.

While many think the ACT and SAT are unfair, some find that they are good to have accessible. Students who require financial aid and scholarships to get into college can positively use higher scores on standardized tests. Stosberg is one among thousands that will utilize his score on the ACT to get financial aid.

“I’m in the top scholarship placements for most colleges- most of my colleges will be paid for because of my ACT scores,” said Stosberg

The ACT and SAT can also allow students to learn how to manage their time and what subjects they should focus on most.

“It’s that transfer of leadership within the learning process from the teacher knowing what you need to refine, to you perfecting your skills. The ACT has a ton of potential information and it’s hard to pick what to prioritize and it comes down to the student drilling themselves and taking ownership for their learning” added Beneke.

The list of flaws within testing like the ACT and SAT is growing, making students not want to test. Many believe that colleges should also measure things like GPA in the admissions process if huge tests like the ACT and SAT are measured so immensely.

“I think schools weigh the ACT more than GPA which I think is stupid- if we are going to standardize the ACT then we need to standardize GPAs because they are just as important,” said Stosberg.

Overall, for the time being, the ACT and SAT are here to stay, whether it’s for colleges or just for the learning advantage it gives students, but the test could slowly be changing. With COVID-19 running rampant, many colleges are starting to abandon the rigorous requirements from ACT and SAT testing and in some lucky cases abandoning the test altogether. The future of college acceptance could be forever changed for the better.