You walk into a room with a calculator and number two pencil in your hand, sit in a desk and are handed a test booklet and answer sheet.

Within the next four to five hours, depending on which test you are taking, your intelligence will be put, pardon the pun, to the test.

It’s a scenario common to American students, particularly those who are preparing for a four-year college experience. Students wishing to move in that direction typically take either

the ACT (American College Testing) and the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test); some take both.

According to “The Truth About Standardized Tests: How They Affect Your College Application” by Cat Cohen, “The ACT consists of four multiple-choice sections (English, Reading, Math and Science) and an optional writing portion. The SAT divides its Math, Writing and Critical Reading topics into multiple sections with a variety of question formats, and also includes an additional experimental section.”

Public schools push students to do well, and colleges accept students with high scores, but is there any reason to put so much emphasis on these tests?

Some say that social class has a lot to with standardized test success. More money means more retakes and more opportunities to get help for preparation.

According to fairtest.org, social class is one of the main reasons the ACT is considered to be biased:

“ACT scores are directly related to family income: the richer students’ parents are, the higher are average scores.”

Standardized testing can hinder college choices for students.

“The test scores interfere with getting accepted to certain colleges,” Senior Lauren Grigg said. “For example, to get into Clemson, the average is a 27 (for the ACT), but the people who have always dreamed of going there, but don’t have the score won’t get accepted.”

Assistant Principal Andrew McMillan said that the importance of these scores depend on which school you want to go to.

“Big scores equal a certain mandatory score,” McMillan said. “(For example), Clemson’s administration process is more rigorous so a higher score is needed.”

Assume that a student meets a minimum score and is accepted to a school. Does that necessarily mean that he or she can go?

Not quite. Rising tuition prices affect students’ decisions to attend certain schools, and test scores can determine scholarship chances.

“Sometimes students can’t get certain scholarships because of eligibility,” Grigg said.

“With scholarships, the difference between a 21 and a 24 could be $10,000,” McMillan said.

Junior Dillon Ramsey believes that scores often are taken seriously because they should be.

“I feel that certain colleges hold ACT and SAT scores to a higher prestige,” Ramsey said. “If you can’t obtain this scores, then you wouldn’t be an adequate fit at that college or university.”

Ramsey feels as if standardized testing proves the true intelligence of a student.

“I feel that standardized testing is an accurate representation of how well rounded a student is in their studies,” Ramsey said.

Ramsey doesn’t deem standardized testing as unfair. Rather, he feels as if everyone is considered equal.

“I believe standardized testing is fair because it gives each student questions that are equal in difficulty and length to accurately gather scores,” Ramsey said.

Colleges often look more at GPA and how students do overall in their four years of high school for more information about whether or not they want to accept the student.

“How you perform day in and day out of the classroom over four years is much more important than how you performed for four hours on a Saturday morning, and admissions officers recognize this,” Cohen said.

“Standardized tests are a crapshoot,” McMillan said. “A lot goes into it. GPA is a more accurate representation of a body of work over a period of time.”

As reported by “What Matters Most To Colleges” on collegedata.com, colleges feel as if the most important things are: extracurricular commitment, letters of recommendation, your essay or writing sample, demonstrated interest and your class rank.

According to ecampustours.com, there are many arguments against standardized testing, but one of the biggest is the added stress it puts on students:

“Students spend a lot of time stressing over the SAT/ACT when they could be focusing their energy on more important academic and social activities that could benefit them in the future.”

One of the most controversial parts of these tests is the time limit for each section that the students are required to go along with.

Ramsey and Grigg are two of the few who think it is, without a doubt, fair.

“With intelligence comes a level of speed in which you can portray your knowledge through testing,” Ramsey said.

“The test being time didn’t bother me,” Grigg said. “In college, you will be required to complete timed tests, so it is a good practice to prepare you.”

Some believe that standardized testing should be optional.

According to the article “Do ACT and SAT scores really matter? New study says they shouldn’t,” by Sarah Sheffer, Sheffer discussed William Hiss’s, former dean of admissions for Bates College, view of this alternative.

“We need thousands of students going through higher ed. Optional testing is one of the ways that that could happen. Optional testing is a potential route to getting many more students through higher education who normally would not be admitted or would not apply in first place,” Hiss said.

This allows students to be accepted into a college without facing the biases and difficulties of standardized tests.

That will increase education all around the country because a better education will be an option for those who never thought it would be possible.

Students agree that optional testing would benefit students.

“(Optional testing) would probably increase higher education because more people would apply to college,” Grigg said. “Also, there wouldn’t be as much stress on the students to see if they will get in or not.”

Grigg goes on to say that taking standardized tests should be required, though, for certain reasons.

“It should be required because some students aren’t so well in the classroom, but do better on the ACT or SAT,” Grigg said. “However, there shouldn’t be such a huge emphasis on the test scores being the main factor determining if you are going to be accepted.”

Ramsey agrees.

“(These test scores) help the colleges see how students respond to a situation under pressure,” Ramsey said.

A lot of the time, schools are looking out for themselves.

“Schools are a business,” McMillan said. “Schools want to make money, but also get quality. This is a way for schools to continue to keep the quality of their students up. It’s not right, but it happens.”

Because these tests are required, preparation is key.

“Any type of test preparation or opportunities (can help),” McMillan said. “Other than that, conduct any research you can on your own.”

Principal Ty Dawkins agrees.

“I firmly believe in taking more rigorous courses that challenge them,” Dawkins said. “It will make them more successful on standardized testing.”

When preparing, don’t let it get too overwhelming because high school is hard enough as it is.

You know what you’re capable of.

After all, a number doesn’t define intelligence.