Standardized Testing - what they are and my opinions.

 A standardized test is any form of test that requires all test takers to answer the same questions, or a selection from a common bank of questions, in the same way, and that is scored in a standard or consistent manner according to The Glossary of Education. This makes it possible to compare the relative performance of individual students or groups of students. There are many different types of standardized tests including: achievement tests, aptitude tests, college- admissions tests, international-comparison tests, and psychological tests. These tests can be multiple choice, true - false, essay, or in other formats. Many schools use standardized testing for placements within their school and for post secondary placement. 

For me, I have a love - hate relationship with standardized testing. Having to take an important 

Colored woman in a 
pink shirt sitting at a 
desk with a pencil in hand, a 
scantron on the left
side of her desk, and a 
test on the right side. 

standardized test, like the ACT, gives me test anxiety and causes me to not perform as well on these types of tests. On the other hand, I consider myself to be somewhat smart so these types of standardized tests have helped me grow academically through tough courses in class. Some colleges, like the University of Tennessee, accept test scores for admittance into their university. For me, I was applying mid/most pandemic, meaning that submitting my test scores to the university was optional. Personally, I thought I had a decent test score, so I decided that I would submit my ACT scores instead of writing an additional essay. What I did not know was that this was going to end up hurting me in the long run. I was not advised until after I had already applied that I would have gotten more money to attend if I had not submitted my ACT score. This was extremely frustrating to me because I had worked so hard to get as high of a score as I did, but with UTK's new policy, it meant pretty much nothing.