Dear Editor,

    In addition to the preexisting stress that comes from being a high school student, juniors, and sometimes even sophomores and seniors, are then expected to take a five-hour standardized test that may determine which schools they are able to attend.

    Preparing for this exam may take hours which is time added to the weekly homework that you are already assigned for your everyday classes. ACT classes are available to help to prepare for this long test, but taking these classes would cause a student to be at school for a total of ten hours in one day. Ten hours in one building without a break makes it very difficult to concentrate, and it makes it harder for students to attend clubs and social events that they are also expected to have time to be fully involved in.

    This test carries so much weight for a high schooler as colleges and universities have minimum ACT score requirements for students to be accepted onto their campus.

    This exam is not fair to all students as some are better test-takers than others. Some students can easily take a test to the best of their ability without stress, whereas others cannot take tests without their stress clouding their minds.

    It is very difficult to be a student dealing with the stress and anxiety that comes with sports, clubs, and academics, while adding additional stress from one single standardized test  that may determine their future.

Sincerely,
Riley Gruenbaum