Test scores – something that students care about on a daily basis – scare students every time they are announced. Parents tell students all day long: “Work harder, your grades are not good at all”, “Are you even reviewing?” and all sorts of scolding. This creates a huge burden on students, making them hate taking tests more than ever. However, no matter how important it is and how much it affects their lives, they still shouldn’t freak out about it, and here’s why:

Test scores are important 

“Test scores are important.” – an undeniable statement – as it is a huge factor in determining which schools or university students go to. People view standardized tests, such as the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Tests) and the ACT (American College Test), and GPAs as some of the most important things when applying to universities. 

As for Taiwanese students, they only have one chance to get into a good university in Taiwan – the college entrance exam. The scores students get from the college entrance exam dictate which college they’ll go to for the next four years, which is absolutely cruel. 

Not only does it determine the university people can get into, but also what jobs they will get  and their future. As such, test scores are indeed important.

Yet, students shouldn’t act like their lives depend on it

Students feel stressed out all the time. They’re stressed out about relationships with friends, they get pressured by parents, and they feel the need to conform to stereotypes and the social norms of society. Yet, all of the problems that they face are most likely related to test scores. 

Most students, including myself, have their lives surrounded and trapped by worries over test scores. 

One thing that I always tell myself when I get a bad score or am not satisfied with myself is that once it’s over, I won’t have to worry about it anymore and I can start looking ahead. This is how I’ve overcome the times I’ve suffered through worrying about my grades when other people were crying and freaking out about their scores. 

When you slow down a bit and think clearly, you will realize that you’ve focused way too much on it, hence missing out on a lot of great surprises and opportunities.  

Test grades aren’t everything 

First of all, there are other grades to consider rather than just test scores in school. Students can use other scores, such as the ones from homework assessments, presentations, and participation, to raise their overall grades. From grade one to grade twelve, most of the time was spent going to school, being a student, and studying for scores that you earned from sacrificing sleeping hours and missing out on moments of laughter in life. Yet none of it matters after that. This means that test scores aren’t everything and wasting 12 years of your life worrying only about grades is absolutely not worth it. 

For me, I’ve been actively and continuously doing sports ever since I was young. However, I stopped all of them when I entered middle school merely because I wanted to concentrate on school, test grades in particular. This decision made all of my athletic skills drop to a degree that it is difficult for me to catch up to the peers that were once at the same level as me. I’ve regretted this decision even until this day. Thus, I’ve started to play sports again, which made myself happier as sports is also the perfect way to relieve stress. 

Another thing that is always forgotten are holidays. Take Christmas and the upcoming Lunar New Year as an example, we should at least try to have some Christmas vibes at home as it is the happiest time of the year. This happiest time should be shared by everyone around the world, and students, of course. Yet, many students are just so busy preparing for their final exam for the end of the semester. They should all take a little rest and just feel the joyous and bright atmosphere full of laughter around them, and even put a small Christmas tree at home. 

Students tend to miss out on a lot of things when they are way too into test scores. In order to feel the pleasures in life, go out and experience leisure activities. 

Instead of freaking out about test grades, there’s lots more enjoyable things around the world that are yet to be discovered. Therefore, a reminder to all the students and myself included: we should all make the most out of our teenage years.