Like many high school students, in preparation for the whirlwind process of college applications, I've taken standardized tests, including the SAT, PSAT and AP exams. I took them for, along with expanding my knowledge base, to embellish my application. Some, such as the SAT, I took because of the vast multitude of colleges that require the test to even be considered in the admission process.

And once the time came near for me to take the SAT in particular, my parents immediately gave me a tutor in an effort to guide me through the nuances of the test and help me perform to the best of my capabilities. My score improved tremendously, starting from the day I took my first practice test to the day I sat down for the exam. Because of my tutor, my support system and my education, I was able to achieve the score I wanted.

But then, as I gazed upon the score, I wondered if it truly reflected my capabilities, my intelligence. Was the test truly a measure of logical reasoning, or of my privilege and resources? If I hadn't had a tutor, if I hadn't had supportive parents who want the best for me, if I hadn't had access to academic enrichment and a rigorous education, would I still have attained that score?

I think about kids in poor neighborhoods, impoverished districts, homes without internet access, and I wonder about how they even approach such standardized tests. How do they even begin to fathom the complexities of the SAT reading passages if they had never before seen such a writing style and can't afford any form of tutoring?

By no means is this article attempting to bash those who attain high scores with the aid of tutoring. Congrats. That is a wonderful achievement. I'm merely trying to highlight the potential disparities in achievement between the rich and the poor, the privileged and the oppressed.

I suppose, at the end of the day, I encourage you to look beyond test scores and grade point averages and towards the person themselves, for their story can tell you more about their intelligence and experiences than data ever could.

You are more than your test.