GMAT Essays (AWA)

"The goal of formal education should be to achieve high scores on standardized tests."
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations or reading

Whether the goal of formal education should be to achieve high scores on standardized tests is a controversial one. In my opinion, the goal of formal education should not be to achieve high scores but should be to strive for excellence.

First of all, the purpose of formal education is to provide the foundation for an individual to strive for excellence in one's respective field. Schools and colleges are structured centers for disseminating knowledge and information.
While achieving high scores can be motivating drivers to an individual, one must not confuse these to be the goals to begin with. High scores are merely end results and not the actual journey of acquiring knowledge and striving for excellence. One cannot expect the next innovator, entrepreneur or Nobel laureate by merely achieving high scores on standardized tests

Secondly, viewing high scores as goals can often result in anxiety and cause individuals to succumb under the pressure of achieving the same. For e.g. there has been a recent alarming rise in students committing suicide in countries like India where the primary emphasis is put on achieving high scores.

Finally, focusing only on high scores can sometimes force an individual to adopt unethical practices to achieve them. With only the goal of achieving high scores in mind, an individual can lose out on the process of preparation and desire to perform one's very best every moment.

In sum, while standardized tests serve their purpose of evaluating performance, achieving high scores in them should be indicators of performance and not the primary goal of formal education.