Whether or not we want to admit it, our intelligence has been determined by our grades and performance on measly multiple choice tests. The teachers administer them in order to have class grades based on something other than classwork, which the state mandates. Lately, the prevalence of students that have been experiencing test anxiety, has gone up. Students have felt pressured to do well on tests such as the New York State Regents exams and the SAT or ACT's. Tests like those unfortunately have a large influence on where we are accepted into college, ultimately impacting our future.

Now don't get me wrong, I understand that intelligence needs to be measured in one way or another, but testing students is unfair. Not all students learn the same, and because the tests are generalized, it puts numerous students at a disadvantage. Those who are better at listening to questions as opposed to reading them are put in an unfortunate situation when they can't read the question out loud. Then the visual learners who benefit from using counting cubes or the teacher writing things on the board, might have a harder time visualizing and making sense of the test questions.

Think of all of the children who go undiagnosed with learning disabilities or disorders such as ADD/ADHD. Parents and teachers usually don't notice these disabilities in the child unless the child is very hyperactive. If the child isn't diagnosed with something, they often won't get special testing accommodations such as being in a distraction free room or having extra time. Because these problems are often overlooked, school is obviously very difficult for the child and tests are hard to focus on or understand.

Something needs to be done about the way tests are constructed. The school system needs to individualize tests and classes so that everyone can be as successful as possible and learn to their full extent. I refuse to let tests define who I am as a student and person, and I won't let tests determine my intelligence.