Debating the SAT & ACT in 'The Test & The Art of Thinking' Doc Trailer

"It stands for nothing, and everybody thinks it stands for something." Abramorama has debuted an official trailer for a documentary titled The Test & the Art of Thinking, which originally premiered in 2018 at the San Luis Obispo Film Festival. The controversial film is finally getting an official streaming release this fall with a special live event screening on November 14th. For decades, the SAT & ACT tests have loomed colossal as a teenage rite of passage for those aspiring to college in the US. The experience, and the score, remain indelible for many. Students, academics, and test-taking professionals expose the bias and influence, both cultural and psychological, in this surprising documentary. "It's a brutal takedown of a practice now warping K-12 education and should embarrass every school that still requires them." I'm very curious to see this! That kind of praise makes gets me interested, and I despise standardized testing anyway. Check it out.

Here's the trailer (+ poster) for Michael Arlen Davis' doc The Test & The Art of Thinking, on YouTube:

Each year more than 3 million students take the SAT or ACT, the college entrance exams required by most four-year colleges in the United States. For decades, however, there have been questions about exactly what these tests measure, what role they play in the admissions process and how predictive they are of academic success. The anxiety-provoking exams, and the multibillion-dollar test-prep industry that has grown up around them, have also become lightning rods in the ongoing national debate over equity in educational opportunity. The documentary examines this controversy through interviews with students, parents, counselors, test-prep professionals and academics, to provide a fascinating look at this uniquely American rite of passage and how it reflects deeper issues in our educational system — and our society as a whole. The Test & the Art of Thinking is directed by first-time filmmaker Michael Arlen Davis, making his first feature. Abramorama will release The Test & The Art of Thinking direct-to-VOD on November 17th, with a Nationwide LIVE Screening on Gathr At Home on November 14th. Visit the film's official site.