The stress of the future hits around junior and senior year of high school, when there is a major push for tests like the SAT, ACT, and CASP (in California). Students are told from the beginning of middle school that these tests will determine their ability to go to college, which then determines their future. These messages are drilled into students’ heads for years, and when those last two years of high school hit, this far off nightmare becomes a reality. Suddenly, testing is all that matters and doing poorly can ruin a life... Or at least that is the message being taught. Standardized tests should be eliminated from educational systems due to their role in increasing disparities among socioeconomic classes and the lack of critical thinking they teach, creating a never-ending cycle that students must struggle to break free from.