Like many students, I recently took the GRE (Graduate Record Examinations): the standardized test widely required for graduate school admission. Of course, in my preparation, I had heard that the test is especially grueling, clocking in at around four and a half hours with barely any break between sections. Yet, as I signed in at my testing center, I was unprepared for the oppressive atmosphere that the GRE elicits. 
“Flip your pockets inside out,” the testing proctor told me. I complied; my pockets contained nothing but lint, which the proctor glared at suspiciously until I threw it away. I didn’t say anything. I felt voiceless. “Stand over here and raise your arms,” she continued. I held my arms out, as I would at airport security, while the proctor ran a handheld metal detector over my body. Complete submission. Total demoralization. I half expected to be frisked. Even waterboarding didn’t seem out of the question. The environment was undoubtedly prison-like—tightly regimented and controlled. The testing room, suffocatingly cold and quiet, emitted a culture of obedience. At that moment, my being, my will, was contained within the rules and regulations of a standardized test. At stake: the future of my education.
In the classic book on education in the United States and Canada, Life in Schools, Peter McLaren writes: “many educators and psychometricians agree that using a single test score to make a high stakes determination represents an ethical abuse.” Yet, Educational Testing Services (ETS), which administers various tests including the GRE, SAT, TOEFL and AP exams, is exceedingly powerful in controlling access to various educational benchmarks.
As the largest private testing organization worldwide, ETS has been described as having a virtual monopoly on such testing. ETS even exclusively administers the California High School Exit Exam, which all California high-schoolers must pass in order to graduate, effectively controlling the standards for graduation that all California students and teachers must adhere to. As a non-profit organization, ETS pays no federal income tax on most of its operations. Yet, despite its non-profit status, ETS has been criticized for high executive, board and member pay, and for selling test-preparation materials for its own tests at high prices. Make no mistake: educational testing is highly profitable. My GRE General Test alone cost well over $100 to take, and the big three testing companies (ETS, College Board and ACT Inc.) raked in a $59 million profit in 2009.
To make things worse, standardized testing, as embodied by ETS, exercises its vast power over students by advancing a corporate conception of education that is oppressive, unequal and flawed. Tests such as the GRE denigrate and redirect the work of teachers and students to serve a corporate agenda of obedience and powerlessness. As the Kaplan New GRE: Strategies, Practice, and Review 2011-2012 workbook says: “the [revised] GRE may have been structured to look more like the GMAT, the test for entry into business school, because the skills tested are so similar.” The “critical” skills as tested by the GRE can only be as critical as the ideology of the test could allow: the ideology that education serves the needs of the market, not a public good linked to democracy and critical citizenship.
The GRE, as do almost all standardized tests, measures a fleeting acquisition of “reasoning skills” in a noncritical way. Such standardized tests assume that all students must “master” the same skills in order to be academically successful, and the high-stakes nature of the tests limits the capacity of students to acquire a critical education. While the GRE is not “taught to” like the SAT or standardized high school exit exams, it nonetheless does require that a student submit to the philosophy of the test, a philosophy concerned with conformity, consumption and corporate efficiency. In other words, these tests argue that students must live with the world, not in it.
Simply, the biggest problem with tests like the GRE is that one cannot challenge the validity of the test itself. Instead, the test-taker must work within the established rules of the test, whether or not he or she accepts them, or face permanent consequences to the future of his or her education. This is the antithesis of empowering education. In essence, the GRE represents the colonization of a student’s ideas or possibilities. High-stakes standardized testing is about artificially reproducing an unequal class system in education that bars access for students that don’t fit into the dominant culture.
Educators that do not speak out against high-stakes tests like the GRE, whether they realize it or not, are consenting to the hegemony of corporatized education. Some professors that I’ve spoken to privately confided that, in some instances, graduate schools will quietly subvert the GRE by requiring scores but taking them less seriously than other factors. This approach, in my view, still does not challenge the dominance of ETS and other standardized testing services in dictating national and international educational agendas. Students and teachers must begin demanding that the validity of the GRE and other standardized tests goes unrecognized. We must reassert the power of students and teachers in forming their own education, instead of allowing them to be dictated to by multinational corporations such as ETS. Rejecting standardized testing starts here at UT, if we want it.
Mikey Angelo Rumore can be reached at michaelangelorumore@gmail.com.
I like to a Neo-Marxist spin this argument around through invoking the laws of causality. That is to say, instead of considering the ETS and the standardized testing as the cause of discriminatory attitudes, conformity, consumption, and all other impacts, we consider the ETS as the result itself. The cause here would be the capitalist system of the U.S. As I’ve been reading a lot of Neo-Marxian writers, specifically Theodor Adorno, I became to understand that hegemony and homogeny are part and parcel of the capitalist system. It’s impossible to talk about capitalism without hegemony/homogeny and vice versa; these elements are inevitably intertwined. What this means is that within this capitalist society, ETS is inevitable as well because conformity is precisely what defines America. We presume as if standardization is irregular and baneful, but it has always been there prior to any of of the activities of the ETS or that of the teachers in the grade school education. To then seek eradication of the GRE and other normalizing education seems odd, since such practices are the constituent of the capitalist economy.
I think there is pretty good evidence that ETS and hence the GRE is actually pretty discriminatory towards persons with disabilities. First, consider the fact that ETS does not offer study materials in braille. It is not hard to imagine that persons with severe visual impairments do not have the opportunity to study for the GRE just like everyone else and their test scores probably reflect that. I also can not imagine them being entirely accommodating towards persons with learning disabilities or other cognitive impairments. Some people can become extremely fatigued while doing tests like these because of an underlying cognitive impairment. There is no flexibility here for taking other sections at other times because of their cognitive difference. Others suffer from extreme anxiety and require a better, less stressful environment to function well and write the test to the best of their ability. I do not imagine the GRE takes into account the various ways people cognitively function or are sympathetic towards neurodiversity.
Finally there are cases like mine. I applied to ETS and disability services to get accommodation and was denied. I was denied, not because the board saw my condition as not disabling enough (I have a SEVERE physical disability), but because I did not include the entire form, including pages I left blank because I do not have a visual or hearing impairment. While I included a doctors assessment of me and request for extra time, I was denied, in part because I didn’t include blank pages in my form. Furthermore, apparently there was some issues with my general practitioner filling out the form for me. My form was subsequently thrown out, and it was recommended that I either write the test in the standard way or reapply for accommodation and wait another six weeks for assessment. (this would involve me paying another doctor to fill out a form for me regarding my condition)
Since I didn’t have time to wait another six weeks for assessment, I struggled to write the test like everyone else and it was a disaster. I requested extra time because I can’t write on scrap pieces of paper fast enough because of dexterity issues. Gripping a pencil and writing requires a slow, conscious effort for me that is physically taxing. One can imagine what happened when I attempted the quantitative section; while I can do the calculations, the actual working them out on a piece of paper is difficult and takes a lot of time, I ended up guessing for half of the questions and the other half I was panicking because I was not going fast enough. I also need to pause and stretch my limbs on occasion, particularly if I’m sitting for long periods of time. The GRE gives me no time to stretch, and does not give me enough time to accomplish the most basic tasks required for the exam. I suspect my test scores a reflection of my discomfort: I had to rush through half the quantitative section, and during the latter part of the test I found it difficult to concentrate because of the stiffness of my joints and the pain I was in. Unfortunately, I could not pause, stretch and appropriately pace myself to sustain my strength for the length of the test.
I also shudder to think what would happen if I had to go to the bathroom. Have you ever seen a person in a wheelchair adjust himself to get his pants down, transfer onto the toilet, finish his business, transfer back into the chair, pull his pants back up. That can take more time than ten minutes, especially for me.
The GRE fucked me over pretty good. I have to apply to graduate schools with shitty GRE scores, and if it is the case that many graduate schools throw you out even on some basis of low GRE scores, then I am not being judged on the basis of my intellectual abilities or capacities. I am being partially judged because I could not function in an environment that was not well suited for me. Furthermore, I can not fathom how I can bring this issue up while applying to grad school (do I do this in a letter of intent, and if so how do I do this without sounding like I’m whining or complaining?) People like me, that are disabled and underrepresented in academia, suffer because of the inherent rigidity of the GRE.
Melissa,
GRE has a moderate positive correlation with grad school performance. One reason that it is not particularly strong is b/c the students accepted in various grad programs typically have a narrow band of GRE scores. Top programs have students with high GRE’s generally. The differences between a student who scores 1400/1600 or 1450/1600 are very slight, hence their respective performance in grad school is going to depend on a host of other factors.
But that doesn’t mean the GRE is unimportant. Imagine a decathlon championship for example. Competitors will compete in 10 events- runs, jumps, throws. Okay, so it’s theoretically possible that an athlete could be a really slow runner- finish last in the four running events and still do well but that competitor would have to be a superstar in the jumping and throwing events. The more likely scenario is that the performers in the competition will be really good in some events and fairly good in others. Having a really poor area (now think low GRE) is likely to keep the person out of the competition altogether.
Patrick, I agree that my early offer was conditional. I also agree with a comment in your previous response that test scores do not indicate grad. school performance–the exact point I intended to make with my narrative and was going to clarify in my reply to you here. I have to say, however, that low test performance (not quite poor!) is not always a result of lack of content knowledge. Some people do experience such a high degree of nervousness before tests that they can’t think clearly. It’s the idea of tests, not of feeling unprepared. Whew–my heart is pounding and I’m feeling flushed just writing about it!
Melissa it sounds as if you received a conditional offer of admission which depended upon you presenting adequate scores on your GRE. Since your scores were not adequate, the school did not accept you. That is not a rescinded offer or a revoked acceptance and it does not imply that nothing else counted nor that your decision was based solely on the scores. Obviously, the school was interested enough in you for you to get to the point of a conditional admission. Another way to look at it is as if you needed X points to get in. Your other attributes got you close but your GRE scores were not high enough to put you over.
It’s great that you’ve found another program and a testament to your persistence. However, the abilities to analyze and research are not necessarily mutually exclusive from one’s ability to answer questions on a test.
As a teacher for many years, I have heard a variety of students sing your refrain- I know the material but don’t test well. But, IMHO testing has a strong positive correlation with how well students know material.
I’ve always done very well in classes and very poorly on standardized tests. I get very, very nervous–despite my rigorous preparations–and, as a result, do not perform effectively. I had a nightmare about the GRE the night before I took it, and that just compounded my nervousness. Needless to say, I didn’t do very well. Many years ago, I was told of my acceptance to an elite graduate program based on my recommendation letters, transcript, and writing sample. All they needed were my GRE scores. Once they received those, the acceptance was revoked–as if nothing else counted! I wondered why the university asked for the other information when it was apparently going to base its decision solely on those scores.
I can now happily say that I am a year away from finishing my dissertation at a university that values more my ability to analyze, research, and write than test!
Sorry, CO, but you’re clinging to a fringe argument. There is not a single mainstream psychologist who claims these tests are racist. Research and reality drove a stake through the heart of that argument long ago. As for other criticisms of the SAT, just take a look at charter schools in Harlem, where students of color and from low-income families scored far higher than students in the PS system. People who want to do away with testing are simply looking for ways to remove accountability from academics, both for students and teachers. Net net: Stop whining and start studying.
A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis of the Predictive Validity of the Graduate Record Examinations®: Implications for Graduate Student Selection and Performance.
by Kuncel, Nathan R.; Hezlett, Sarah A.; Ones, Deniz S. Psychological Bulletin, January 2001, Vol 127(1), 162-181.
(from the journal abstract) This meta-analysis examined the validity of the Graduate Record Examinations® (GRE®) and undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) as predictors of graduate school performance. The study included samples from multiple disciplines, considered different criterion measures, and corrected for statistical artifacts. Data from 1,753 independent samples were included in the meta-analysis, yielding 6,589 correlations for 8 different criteria and 82,659 graduate students. The results indicated that the GRE and UGPA are generalizably valid predictors of graduate grade point average, 1st-year graduate grade point average, comprehensive examination scores, publication citation counts, and faculty ratings. GRE correlations with degree attainment and research productivity were consistently positive; however, some lower 90% credibility intervals included 0. Subject Tests tended to be better predictors than the Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical tests. (PsycINFO Database Record © 2004 APA, all rights reserved). From “A comprehensive meta-analysis of the predictive validity of the graduate record examinations: Implications for graduate student selection and performance,” Kuncel, Nathan R.; Hezlett, Sarah A.; Ones, Deniz S., Psychological Bulletin, January 2001, Vol 127(1), 162-181. Copyright © 2001 by the American Psychological Association. For information on how to obtain the full text to this article, please visit http://www.apa.org/psycarticles.
Rather than just spouting about the unfairness of the test, which no graduate programs use as the sole criteria for admissions, why not do a little research and provide some support for your assertion that the test is not a valid predictor of graduate school performance.
I wrote the department to which I hoped for admissions a letter stating (with research evidence) the ways in which the GRE is racist and that I therefore did not want to financially support it. I offered a portfolio of papers I had written lieu of the test and they accepted that. We have to stand up against the tyranny of the so-called Educational Testing “Service.”