After months of homework, quizzes, projects, and classwork, many New York students’ futures still come down to just a few hours of testing.

Regents exams have been mandatory since the 1990s. These standardized tests are required for students across New York State and other areas to pass in order to graduate. Currently, to graduate with a Regents diploma, students are required to pass five Regents exams. These Regents exams are required in subjects including ELA, Algebra I, Geometry, and U.S. History and Government. These tests create unnecessary stress and disadvantage many students. Regents exams should no longer be required for graduation or given to students at all.

One of the biggest problems with Regents exams is the amount of stress they place on students. Monroe-Woodbury student Olivia Mullahy states, “I get stressed weeks before my exam. It’s annoying knowing that if I fail, I won’t be able to graduate, even though kids that go to school in different states don’t have to worry about these tests.”

This pressure can cause anxiety and loss of sleep. Many students’ results are worse on these mandatory tests because they do not understand the material. A student’s future should not depend on how they perform during one exam on one day.

Another issue is fairness. Not every student walks into a Regents exam under the same circumstances. Some students face learning disabilities such as dyslexia. One Monroe-Woodbury student said: “I have dyslexia, and it makes it harder for me to take the Regents. What takes most people 2 minutes to read takes me 4.”

One standardized test cannot account for every student’s learning style.

People in favor of Regents exams argue that these tests create consistent academic standards across New York and make sure that students are prepared for college or future careers. However, maintaining high standards does not require relying on one exam. Schools can test students’ ability through classwork, projects, and classroom performance.

As education continues to grow, so should the way students are tested. Rather than allowing one exam to determine a student’s future, schools should create a system that shows a student’s performance throughout the entire school year. Eliminating these exams would have a beneficial impact on students across New York State. Regents exams may have served an important purpose in the past, but it is time to rethink whether they are still the best measure of student success.