The Washington Post recently reported an interesting story: Rick Roach, a school administrator in Orange County, Fl., took a state-issued standardized test (FCAT) that requires Florida students to pass every section in order to receive their diplomas, regardless of their GPA. Roach got ten out of 60 math questions correct, despite guessing on all 60, and of the four-part reading section he got 62% correct, which is a D in his school district.
Considering Roach has a bachelor's degree, two master's degrees, a partially completed doctorate, over 14 years of being an educator, and oversees a corporation with a $3 billion budget and 22,000 employees, had he taken this test in high school it's likely he wouldn't have accomplished any of it.
Here's the moral of the story: Do not ever let standardized tests predict your future, because they don't.
Roach pointed out that particularly the math topics covered on the FCAT bore no practical use to his or any of his friends' professions. I haven't used Algebra or Geometry since high school either, and I still managed to obtain multiple degrees and a publishing career. No matter the standardized test, know that these are merely educational "traditions" that ultimately amount to undue stress; in no way are they competent predictors of future success or real-world experience.
This information, however, does not excuse you from actually trying on standardized tests. They're still an unfortunate part of educational tradition and a lot of colleges require them for admission. For tips to prepare, check out the following posts:
If you don't receive a high score, it's not the end of the world. There's still plenty of success to be had after standardized tests, so don't give up and simply let determination be your own predictor of success.
--Chris
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