While most standardized test scores correlate well to a child's classroom grades, there is a certain subset of students who do fantastic in class, but do poorly on standardized tests. It is never good to try to pigeonhole students, for each case is unique, but from dealing with many of these students there are three main reasons for this discrepancy. Looking at these reasons is important because once the problem is understood, corrective action can be taken to help students overcome these problems and perform up to their level on tests.

The first reason that students struggle on standardized tests is time constraints. Whenever a very bright student does poorly on a standardized test, the first question should be asked is: “Do you have enough time to finish all the questions?” For good reasons, classroom learning is generally not focused on the time it takes to answer questions about topics. Classroom learning is focused on actually learning and understanding the material. While there is a certain time limit for classroom exams, few teachers make the amount of time a major issue and students get into the habit of answering questions at their own pace. Unfortunately, one of the limitations of standardized testing is that it forces all students to answer questions at a certain set pace, which may be much shorter than the student’s optimal pace. Because students are conscious of the time limit, the pressure sometimes gets the best of them and they will get an answer wrong that they would otherwise get correct on a usual classroom exam. Tutoring can be a very beneficial outlet for students who struggle with this. Often a tutor will run through exercises that force students to use less time in order for them to work more efficiently within the given time period.

A second problem for students is that they often cram for exams in their usual school classes. This can be a very effective method for a test on a limited range of material; however this study method breaks down when studying for a broad exam. This is a particular problem when students take SAT II's or AP exams. Often these students only had to learn a small fraction of the material for each test, and they are simply overwhelmed when it comes to studying all at once for the big one. To make matters worse, cramming material only puts the information in your short-term memory, so even the facts that the students knew to get good grades on the smaller tests are hard to recall on the big exam. Many of the students will perform much better if they are instructed in proper study skills. These study skills are most effective if reinforced throughout the school year by having set study periods or regularly meeting with a tutor.

The final problem that often arises is the difference in learning styles between classroom exams and standardized tests. The two classic examples of this are in physics and history. In the physics case, the students learn in class which equations to solve problems with and how to plug numbers into those equations. Unfortunately, the standardized test may focus on abstract reasoning with physical concepts. Students who excel in algebra and manipulating numbers but do not understand the concepts behind the formulas will often perform very poorly on standardized tests such as the SAT II subject exams. In the history case, the problem is that in class, the students have exams that involve long written essay answers. These essay answers are good because they teach students how to write and form ideas, but they might not prepare students for standardized tests that have mostly multiple-choice questions. Multiple-choice questions are often simply a matter of recalling fact and may be purposely trying to mislead the student (" trick questions"). Students who are good writers or are very good at arguing points but not as strong at memorizing minute details may find standardized subject exams in the humanities to be very challenging. For students to overcome this roadblock, they often need to go over practice questions in test prep books and work with a teacher or tutor to make sure they are preparing properly for the questions that will be asked.

If your child is a great student but has poor standardized test scores, it is important to correct the problem as early as possible. Poor standardized test scores can cause students to be put in classes that aren't as challenging and may keep them out of top colleges. It is important to talk to the student, as well as teachers and tutors to try to determine what the problem could be. Often a structured studying time and simple exercises may be able to correct the problem and will allow the student to perform at their full potential. In other cases, long term tutoring and after-school help may be necessary, but it will be worth it in the long run when a student is able to get better grades, get into better colleges, and better represent their true potential.