Argumentative on being AGAINST Standardized Testing of Students - Research Paper Example

These reasons, however, do not outweigh the severe misconceptions that standardized tests often project, due to their flawed nature. Since 1914, which was when standardized I.Q. tests convinced the world that America was a ‘Nation of Morons’, this type of tests has been realized for its often misguiding nature (Gould, pp. 349-352). One of the biggest flaws with standardized testing is how little importance this test gives to individuality. Standardized tests are used for several purposes; from measuring the intelligence level of human beings to screening out applicants for an available job.

Such tests are often set in a predictable pattern, with multiple-choice questions and one-word answers (Phelps, pp. 23-54). These tests do not leave room for creativity, nor do they allow the test-taker to choose beyond the choices given in the paper. Resultantly, they are set to measure only a few specific characteristics, while disregarding other possibly important ones (Sacks, pp. 150-165). An Intelligence Quotient (I.Q.) test, which contains difficult mathematical problems, for instance, will only measure an applicant’s mathematical I.Q., and judge the applicants with a high mathematical I.Q. as the most intelligent.

Meanwhile, applicants who may not have a strong mathematical capability will be judged less intelligent, even if they have high social or artistic I.Q.s, which the test failed to measure. Moreover, this pattern of testing also implies that the applicants are needed to be standardized and generic themselves, with no need for individuality (Kuncel, Hezlett, and Ones, pp 148-161). It awards instead, the applicants who have managed to transform into clones of the standard. This means that this type of testing is not advisable for instances where the applicant’s creativity is in question.

For example, in the case of an architectural school,