The time of the school year has come for high school students - particularly those in their sophomore and junior years of high school - to begin taking their college entrance exams, the SAT/ACT. These standardized tests hold great value in admission offices throughout the country, as they are hallmarked as being one of the key indicators of a student's overall college readiness. However, the tests have fallen into a world of backlash and persistent arguments made by social justice activists concerning the alleged falsehood of the claims the test makers put up in the face of the arguments that stand against the tests - that "the test security and fairness policies are designed to give you a standardized, fair, and equitable opportunity to demonstrate your college readiness and to prevent anyone from gaining an unfair advantage on the SAT." Opponents of the College Board's SAT and other standardized tests of the same nature argue that the tests single out students belonging to minority groups, those on the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder, and those with less access to resources and guidance for preparing for the tests within their own schools, thus leading to large score gaps and disparities between groups, based on these factors.

The same statement quoted above, written by the makers of the SAT, the College Board, seems to imply that all students have fair, equal opportunities to do exceptionally well on the test. However, this statement seems to only apply to the conditions set up within the test setting, accounting mainly for factors such as cheating, prior knowledge of test information, and others. It does not pertain to outside factors that may affect one's ability to do well on the test, such as their socioeconomic status, where they are from, what high school they are attending, and more.

Personally, having attended a relatively under-served, inner-city public high school with no SAT prep classes available during or after school hours, I found myself to be without any help preparing for the exam. My parents had to shovel out money for a tutor, buy practice books, and pay for me to take the SAT twice - just to obtain an adequate score on the exam. The average SAT score at the high school I attended is painstakingly low, with the vast majority of kids having to settle for community and city colleges. This demonstrates the lack of equal opportunity for test-takers who aren't well-off or attend a well-funded high school, to do just as well as someone who is well-off and/or attends such a school, on the SAT. Had my parents not been able to afford such preparatory materials, I don't think I would've even been accepted to Fordham, let alone been able to afford tuition.

The issue transcends to race as well. Based on the National Center for Education Statistics' study, it is clear to see how it does so. White students outperform non-white students across the board, signaling disparities between funding for majority-minority school districts, and majority-white school districts. Funding plays an essential role in test preparation, as it directly pays the teachers teaching the SAT prep course, whether it be part of their salary (during school hours) or an addition to their salary (being after regular school hours).

With all this in mind, it is clear to see how much of a role socioeconomics, race, and one's schooling environment play in the SAT game. Many students, regardless of intellect, are simply not doing the best they can on these standardized exams - and it's not due to laziness. However, it will take a large reform of the test in order for it to be completely fair to all students, regardless of their personal standing pertaining to this long list of factors, if that is even possible. Life isn't fair, but we as a nation should put education first, to further advance our society and make it more fair to those who deserve to do well for themselves to have upward mobility more accessible to them, rather than ignoring them due to their inability to pay for such mobility.