My AP Literature teacher was lecturing us today on the importance of writing rather than test taking. This past weekend like many of the high school students that tread this site, I took the SAT I Reasoning test and wondered: Why did I have to waste my Saturday morning taking the 3 hour long test that truly didn't indicate my intelligence or readiness for college?The Collegeboard SAYS that the test is a large factor in being ready for college, do you think thats true?
Did you know that the University of California system is considering removing the SAT from their list of requirements? Do you think the SAT is a valid test that judges the aptitude of an individual? Does it really show that a student is ready for college if they do well on the SAT?
Are there multiple choice tests in college?
The answer is maybe, but most colleges have papers due instead of these multiple choice tests like the SAT. This is interesting dilemma. Why is it that students are forced to take the SAT when in college they won't be taking multiple choice tests?
Hmm what an interesting paradox. The SAT is surviving because of what factor?
Money.
Yes, imagine if the UC system, for example, were to say that they won't be taking SAT scores, how do you think Collegeboard will act? I know for sure they would freak out and widespread havoc at Collegeboard headquarters would ensue. If the SAT is for capitalistic purposes why do we have to take it?
There should be more stress placed on essay writing. The Collegeboard added the essay to the Writing section of the SAT because they needed to accommodate the needs of institutions such as the UCs – to give a test with a writing portion that will truly show the student’s abilities. The SAT is not perfect but so much stress is placed on getting a high score.
I think that the SAT is overrated.
What do you think?
I think they all are overrated to be honest the only one I think was fine is the compass test. It may be different in each state, but that is just my opinion.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I am voting for Lewis Black.
DrifterDani~
Not only do I think written tests are more important, but I like them better. I am pretty good at BSing, which is harder to pull off with muliple choice. As for the SATs, they are pretty useless in determining whether you are ready for college. I lost one scholarship because of my ACT scores, but was rewarded another scholarship because of them. This was because I did worse in the math section than overall as well as in each individual section.
Like what you've read? Well, then here's more:
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tricia0711
I am pretty good at BSing, which is harder to pull off with muliple choice.
A-freaking-men! We do essays for everything and as much of a pain as it can be, it's a lot better than multiple choice. When the essays count for the majority of your grade, you learn the "if you don't know it, BS it" rule!
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Slán agus beannacht leat,
~Fallon~
O, happy the soul that saw its own faults -Rumi
People of the world don't look at themselves, and so they blame one another -Rumi
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I like the fact you can BS with essays also...except with english If I only could do that in english class. lol
Sorry to disappoint you, but I am voting for Lewis Black.
DrifterDani~
I personally like multiple choice. It is a way to jog my memory, and I can usually narrow the answers down to two, giving me a 50/50 shot at getting it right. And to answer your question, there are multiple choice test in college.
I've thought multiple choice tests were a stupid way to judge intelligence since the very first time I saw a standardized test (if not before then). When I write something I actually remember it better then something I just read or hear, and writing gives a better sense of what you actually understand then multiple choice tests, which just show if you can spit back phrases.
Multiple choice tests are also too easy if you ask me. If you're given multiple choices for a question you don't out right know the answer to, it's usually pretty easy to eliminate a few choices you know what mean, maybe a few more you know aren't the right answer even if you're not sure what they are, and if you're still not sure you can take a guess and have a pretty good shot a being right. If a question requires a written response, you have to actually know what you're talking about (or at least know enough to bs an answer).
"Live above money; put your heart in front of you and follow it."
Unknown
I love to BS but my BS is coherent and understandable - its like arguing your point of view. I believe that writing reveals a student's ability to think critically and it truly illustrates their intelligence.
I try to make sure my BSing sounds correct also I have actually recieved good grades from it. lol. I agree about intelligence as well.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I am voting for Lewis Black.
DrifterDani~
I just wish that schools didn't put so much stress on multiple choice tests so we could BS/express ourselves articulately.
Of course we're not talking making nonsense up on the spot, but For most essays, just putting done the answer is not enough, you need to elaborate a bit. The way I see it, there are different parts to BS. Reason ie logic, fact, knowing what the grader wants to hear, opinion, and storytelling.
Like what you've read? Well, then here's more:
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tricia0711
Both my year-long chemistry classes required a standardized, multiple-choice final put together by the ACS. They were all worth just as much as the rest of the tests I took in the class, and they were used to determine competency in the subject. My conservation biology professor loved multiple choice tests (though they absolutely sucked in her class). We had scantron tests in English and Human Physiology.
So yes, there are multiple choice tests in college. Furthermore, there are multiple choice tests to get into graduate school, including the GRE, the MCAT, the LSAT, and many others. You have to know how to test well in these environments in order to do well on the test and continue your education.
~C
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Thanks for the insight - I guess they'll always be there
And I didn't even mention licensing exams... most all of those are multiple choice.
Please use the reply link to respond to a comment. It makes the flow of conversation easier to follow.
~C
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Alright
The multiple choice tests you take are to get into graduate program and they're probably not even comparable to the ST. Well I really don't like the idea that you need to get XXXX score to be average - or considered for some universities.
I haven't taken the GRE, so I don't know how that compares. I also took the SAT many years ago and can barely remember the sorts of things that were on it, but here's how the MCAT is structured (seems more like the ACT than the SAT, but we're taking standardized tests, so it counts).
There are 4 sections to the MCAT. Two of them are content areas... physical science and biological science. These two sections have several passages that you have to read, then answer questions based on the passage and your own background knowledge. They often ask you questions in a way that you have to take something from the passage, but need to know the background information first. For instance, the article may talk about how ovarian cancer develops, and a question may be about symptoms relating to increased estrogen production. So, you have to know what estrogen does in the body first, then answer it according to the passage. Each of these sections also have several questions that are not based on a passage, but merely from background information. I think there are a total of 60 questions in each of these sections, and you have 85 minutes to complete them. They are each scored on a scale from 1 to 15, with 15 being the best score you can get, but not necessarily meaning that you got every answer correct.
The third section is a verbal reasoning section. This is much like the physical science and biological science sections, except that it does not require any science knowledge. You answer the questions exclusively based on the passages and your interpretation of the passages. This is the section most students mess up on, and it is similarly scaled from 1 to 15. All three are exclusively multiple choice.
The fourth section (note that these aren't in order of appearance on the test itself) is the writing section. You have one hour to write two essays based on two prompts given. You have to answer them a specific way that presents an argument for the statement, an argument against the statement, and a conclusion based on the arguments. Each essay is scored by two different people (so four people score your essays), and each gives a rating of 1 to 3, I think. They combine these numbers and convert it to a letter score, so the range is from J to T, with T being the best.
The totals from the three multiple choice sections are added, with the score from the writing section added to the end. Thus, the lowest score you can get is a 3J and the best score you can get is a 45T. The average of all test takers is about a 24, the average of medical school applicants is about 27, and the average of medical school matriculants (those who actually start medical school) is about 30. At many schools, they won't even look at you if you have less than a 30. If you have less than a 27, you will have a difficult time getting into an MD school (it's possible, but difficult). If you have less than a 24, you're probably either going to have to retake the test, or go to a foreign medical school and hope you can earn a residency in the US.
So, if you're complaining that some universities look closely at your school for consideration for admission, don't expect much different for graduate school. Unless, of course, you want to go to law school... because most people who apply to law school get in somewhere. Half of all medical school applicants don't get in every single year.
~C
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I hate standardized testing! I completely agree, it is pointless! I've noticed as I've been preparing my applications that SAT scores are optional a lot of the time. Also, I find the selections on the multiple choice sections to be really dull, which defiantly lowers my score. They essay is more fun. It represents me a little better, and it's easier because there isn't really a wrong answer, it's just how I present my arguments.
Does it cost more for Collegeboard to change the SAT to an essay test?
Oh and multiple choice tests are still seen in college in chemistry or math and science classes.
Ehh. I hate them.