We had the chance to learn a great deal about standardized tests and what it means to students and parents on up to higher education and our country visiting with Stephen Heiner of Get Smarter Prep.

When a student first comes to Heiner, he will ask if their goal of increasing their test score is to get into a selective university or to get a scholarship. If they have another reason, he will ask them to save their money. Students iniitally will take both the ACT and SAT exams. 80% of kids get relatively the same score on their ACT as they do on their SAT. Heiner asks them which test they feel more comfortable with which determines the test they will prepare for.

At Get Smarter Prep, students can generally increase scores about 2-5 points on the ACT. However, it depends on what they get. A score of 30 means the students are missing the really hard questions, and the increase may not be as significant. A score of 21 means they are missing a lot of questions. With tutoring and practice, their increase will be significantly higher.

However, increasing test scores take a lot of hard work. if the student doesn't have the concepts down they will have to put in a lot of time. Additionally, if the student is not able to study due to reasons such as their after-school job or taking care of others at home, they simply will not be able to catch up.

Heiner notes there is a problem with test standardization. On one hand, standardized tests make government reporting and university's mechanical admission process incredibly easy. However, the tests are not the best indication of a student's education nor intellectual level which creates inaccuracies, misconceptions, and impacts many student lives. Some universities (listed on fairtest.org) have recognized the dilemma and are not relying on standardized testing. By doing so, they take on more work, but they are advocating fairness across racial, class, gender, and other cultural barriers that standardized tests may impact.

To find out more, listen to the interview and visit getsmarterprep.com.