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(Note to readers: When I say “standardized testing” within this article, I am primarily focusing on the SAT and ACT, since they are universally taken throughout the United States, and common in the college application process.)
“Bubbling in circles isn’t a hobby.”
I was admittedly giving off waves of nerdy excitement as I sat in my chair listening to the guest speaker at my school’s PSAT night. I am undoubtedly extremely biased when I say he was charmingly British, hilariously politically incorrect, and refreshingly forthright. What impressed me most of all was that despite business interests, he was relentless in his bashing of the SAT. I internally cheered as John Katzman, founder of the Princeton Review, affirmatively explained, “There’s a difference between test prep and education.” I couldn’t help but smile and think, “This dude gets it.”
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After he finished giving his talk, I approached Mr. Katzman, asking him about the beginnings of The Princeton Review. I had never particularly looked into the company, and so I was surprised to learn that it was never a test preparation company to begin with. Interestingly enough, it all began with a social experiment by a couple of college students. To challenge the idea at the time that the SAT tested “aptitude,” an innate quality unable to be taught, high school students of varying demographics were all “taught” to take the test by learning the format, doing numerous practice problems, as well as completing practice tests. Surely enough, these students received high scores on their tests, word spread, and soon parents from all over were calling. Thus, The Princeton Review was born.
The Business of Standardized Tests & Test Prep
It’s easy to forget that the groups writing these tests are businesses as well. Notably, following its decrease in popularity (and consequently, leading to a loss in money), with more people opting to take its counterpart, the ACT instead, College Board announced it would be making significant changes to the SAT in the spring of 2016. Changes included revising the content of the test in order to better align it with Common Core. The new test would cover material taught within high school classrooms, in an effort to make it more relevant. These changes resulted in a collective sigh of relief for future test takers, grateful that they would not have to deal with the widely regarded misleading and tricky test questions of the SAT. Many quizzical onlookers, however, are convinced this was a move primarily fueled by financial interests (read: making up for lost profit), noticing the changes would make the SAT suspiciously similar to the ACT.
Mike Keefe, Denver Post, 2002. Source.
As you’ve probably noticed, year after year, edition after edition of test prep books are constantly being published, with every new edition drawing wave after wave of anxious students and their equally anxious parents, who clamor to purchase the most current edition, hoping to get a leg up, to gain any sort of advantage. Visit any mainstream chain bookstore and you will be hard-pressed to NOT be able to find a section or shelf dedicated to thick, glossy, paperback test prep books, all of which contain the standard content: example problems, practice tests, and of course, test taking strategies. Prep books always tout shortcuts, strategies, and advice guaranteed to boost, even maximize your score. Often times, the first piece of advice prospective test takers are strongly encouraged to take is to familiarize themselves with the format of the test.
The Ideal of Standardized Test Prep
There is a painfully tangible culture of anxiety and distress surrounding standardized test scores, predominantly, the SAT and ACT, which are essential to objectively comparing prospective students in the college application process. Knowing this, students make the most of their resources in order to obtain the highest score possible. While striving for success and working hard to achieve one’s goals are things to encourage and commend, one can’t help but wonder if all this effort being put into obtaining the coveted ideal test score could be put into more productive ventures.