In high school, I always did well in my classes, but I really struggled to get my standardized test performance to “match” my GPA. My college counselor commented on this discrepancy, noting that my lower test scores could potentially hold me back from achieving my academic goals after high school.

Fortunately, I was able to diligently study for the ACT and get a score that was more indicative of my abilities, but this achievement required a concerted effort over a long period of time. And even after a preparation course and many test attempts, I still did not do as well as I had hoped. As I progress in my college career, I have started to think about applying to graduate school, which is a similar process to applying to college.

Being a college upperclassman, I have started to hear sentiments about the importance of test scores in the graduate school application process echoed by advisors, professors and my peers. Once again, I feel worried that my inability to perform on one given day of the year on one specific test will negatively impact my future educational and professional prospects.

Why is that several years of high grades, hard work, research, essay-writing and exam preparation for classes in my field of study are not as relevant to my application as my score on the MCAT, GRE or LSAT? Of course, standardized tests are used for a reason: to simplify the application process and predict a student’s performance in a given graduate program. But is it fair that test scores matter more in some application processes than a student’s GPA?

Some graduate programs across the nation have acknowledged the flawed logic in placing more importance on test scores than on GPAs and have shifted to an application process that does not require a standardized test score or allows a student to choose whether or not they would like to submit a test score. However, there are more programs that require a student to submit a standardized test score in order to be considered for merit scholarships. In the future, I would love to see graduate programs evaluate students based on their long-term performance, specifically in their field of study.

In many workplaces, the skills that are utilized most often are not tested on many standardized tests but rather are learned during undergraduate and graduate programs themselves. In the classroom, we learn how to collaborate with others during group projects and do extensive research for papers, presentations and projects. We learn how to speak in front of others and communicate our thoughts coherently in writing. Skills like these are some of the most important to professional success, which is the ultimate goal of students who are looking into graduate programs. Therefore, we should evaluate students based on their long-term performance and potential rather than their performance on tests that may not even be totally relevant to their academic goals.