Last week, all Chelsea High School seniors were required to take the ACT WorkKeys. This online test consisted of three parts that lasted about an hour each: reading for information, applied mathematics, and locating information.

After the level of difficulty that seniors have experienced at school and on standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT, many seniors were boggled as to why this test was a requirement.

ACT Workkeys is a test that employers, such as Alabama Power, require because of its ability to measure an individual’s foundational  and soft skills. Throughout the test, it was noticeable that many of the passages dealt with following instructions and many of the graphs were connected to a specific field of work. Although simple and in some cases, almost laughable, being able to follow instructions swiftly and read a graph accurately are important skills needed for most, if not all future endeavors.

It was also evident within the test that each test became harder towards the end. For instance, the beginning of the math exam was simple adding or subtracting, but a lot more focus and knowledge was required by the end of the exam. This is due to the level of difficulty that increases as the quantity of information increases.

This test allows employers and educators to measure an applicant’s skill level on a more neutral base instead of playing a guessing game as to whether the applicant holds the correct basic skills.

Though it seemed to be useless at the time, farther on down the road, Chelsea seniors might discover that to continue with their future, the Workkeys test is a requirement.