Entrance exams should be banned....?

Question

this is a topic for my debate an im for the topic,ie,entrance xams should be banned...please suggest releavant an strong points

Answer 1

Exams only measure a small portion of a person's true potential.  Yes, they are useful to measure acquired knowledge over a few select subjects.  But the reality is that every study undertaken between success in school & success in life, demonstrates little correlation between the two.  

There are so many other things that exams do not measure, but are important to one's future success.  Things like:

• an ability to work with others

• an sense of drive, duty & dedication

• a willingness to compromise or be persistent, & recognizing when to use the right one

• a sense of humor & empathy

Entrance exams are rarely set up to include differences in one's cultural, ethnic, & environmental background.  For example, the word "hoe" would have different meanings in Harlem, NY, & down on the farm in Iowa.  

All of us did not go to the same primary schools.  There is a vast difference in teaching methods at private schools in wealthy suburban schools, vs. poorer inner city schools.  

What you want to focus on here is the disparity in backgrounds of the applicants.  How systemic poverty & racism tends to render those affected as less qualified, through no fault of their own. How labeling children early in life tends to induce a poor self concept.   And  there is scientific evidence >>  

Professor Claude Steele has another reason that I found interesting.  His 7 year study, involving Stanford U, U of Michigan, & the State University of NY, found "standardized tests can not accurately measure intellectual merit because racial and gender stereotypes interfere with the intellectual functioning of those taking the tests."

And further: Steele also said the findings "underscore the danger of relying too heavily on standardized test results in college admissions or otherwise. The research shows that societal stereotypes can systematically depress the test performance of some groups more than others, even when those groups enter the test situation with equal knowledge."

Good luck