Two economics professors at the University of Chicago have co-written a paper that gives scientific basis to something counselors know but students and parents forget—achievement tests don’t measure what’s really going to matter once a student gets out in the real world.
When it comes to the standardized tests associated with college admissions, yes, they can impact your admissibility at some schools. I’ve got no problem with a student doing smart preparation to raise scores and potentially add even more college options. But remember that these tests are never the most important thing to colleges, and they mean almost nothing to the rest of the world once you go to college. You never meet a person who’s a failure in life because of low SAT or ACT scores earned back in high school.