There are many different ways to measure intelligence, but which ways are the best?  In recent years there has been much discussion about standardized tests and if they are truly a sufficient way to measure someone’s abilities or if they measure memorization and they should not be used for college admission anymore.

One of the main reasons that standardized tests have been deemed unhelpful is that they don’t actually measure how smart someone is, but rather how well they memorize techniques or strategies.

Senior Parker Phillips does not think standardized tests are sufficient ways of measuring intelligence, he said, “I don’t think standardized tests accurately measure abilities because these tests just measure how well you can take the test and not how smart you actually are.”

On the contrary, some people think that standardized tests could provide new opportunities while also measuring improvement in certain skills or abilities. 

According to Bryon Nixon of Whitby Schools, “Assessment data is also useful for year-over-year internal comparisons. We compare data over a number of years to find trends—and then trace any changes back to their source. If the math scores of our fourth grade students suddenly jump, we want to identify what change led to the improved performance, and how we can continue to implement this within our curriculum.”

Some students at Kelly Walsh also have mixed opinions, junior Avery Strand questions whether or not standardized tests should be a decisive factor for the rest of a person’s life.  

“Standardized tests can open doors to universities for a new level of education and understanding.  On the other hand, it’s not fair that our whole lives are based off of tests we take at 16 and 17 years old,”  said Strand.

Both sides prove that there is no clear answer on whether or not standardized tests are useful for college admission, but it does show that more people do not think college admissions should not be based on ACT or SAT scores.  

“Some kids who are smart can be bad at test taking so it’s a hard thing to know if they are actually useful,” said junior Gracie McCain.

There are many different opinions on standardized tests and whether or not they are fair tools for colleges to use for admission.  The easiest way to answer this question, is to first see if standardized tests prove intelligence or if they just test memorization and strategy.