The PSAT is one of the most widely utilized standardized tests in the nation, acknowledged for benchmarking aptitude as well as commending highly accomplished students as National Merit Scholars.

This year’s changes to the test’s format and scoring counteract the core purpose as a whole. The necessity of standardized tests has already been deemed controversial by many students and staff, and these changes forfeit any lasting defendable value.

For decades, all standardized tests have been given to students via paper and #2 pencils. This practice, while archaic in comparison to other well-developed educational tools, has established a sense of consistency to the tests. By administering the PSAT online, additional variables are introduced to the test taking experience that have significant potential to influence scoring. Specifically, the possibility of technology malfunctions complicates the assessment far more than the classic paper-pencil method. Spending several hours staring at a screen during the PSAT is less than ideal for a teenager’s cognitive function, even if it seems more on par with the modern school setting.

Alongside the shift to electronic administration, the PSAT now follows an adaptive style of testing, meaning that the difficulty of the questions depends on the accuracy of student responses. Because of this, PSAT is no longer truly standardized, rather, it is personalized to the student taking it. If students are receiving different questions based on their cumulative performance on the test, their scores cannot be accurately compared. If a student is answering questions incorrectly, that should simply be reflected in their score, rather than simplifying their test so they get fewer questions wrong.

The unfortunate truth is that no amount of redesign or altered formatting of standardized tests will ever make them a flawless system. At the end of the day, it is most likely impossible to accurately evaluate a student’s academic performance in a way that is comparable to every other student in the nation. However, if these assessments are going to continue to hold substantial
weight in schools, they need to be made as consistent as possible. There have already been too many anecdotal reports of students being sporadically paused for several minutes at a time, getting up to take breaks during technology com- plications, or losing access to their test entirely.

Modifying the PSAT’s format and administration doesn’t make it any more valuable to students or staff. In fact, it makes it significantly less reliable as a benchmark for measuring academic progress. Regardless of support for the use of standardized testing, it should be widely recognized that these changes create more problems than improvements.