Revealing test scores is a destructive numbers game. Education should be centered around understanding and personal development, not a competition to see who can memorize the most or perform the best under artificial test conditions. When scores are publicly shared, students who struggle are unfairly labeled stupid. On the other hand, those who excel are put on a pedestal, reinforcing harmful stereotypes about intelligence. Obsession with ranking and public comparison shifts the focus away from improvement and personal achievement, turning education into a toxic race rather than a journey of knowledge. 

I remember the exact moment I got my math test grade back. My hands shook as I flipped over the paper, and my stomach dropped when I saw the score. It was much worse than I had expected. Before I could even process it, someone turned to me and asked, “What did you get?” I froze. The lump in my throat grew, and before I could stop myself, tears welled up in my eyes. It wasn’t just about the grade itself; it was the humiliation of knowing that I had been reduced to a number. A single score became a reflection of my intelligence, my worth, and my future. Whispers spread, and I could feel the unspoken judgment, just as I had witnessed before when others received low scores. Meanwhile, the highest scorers were praised, and their achievements were put on display as if intelligence could be neatly ranked.

This is the problem with revealing test scores. It turns education into a public spectacle, where students are labeled as “smart” or “struggling” based on a system that fails to measure real ability. Beyond psychological harm, sharing test scores overlooks the flaws embedded within standardized assessments. Test scores fail to capture more valuable skills in the real world such as creativity, critical thinking, work ethic, or resilience. Some students excel in traditional testing environments, while others thrive in hands-on learning, discussion, or project-based work. Reducing one’s entire academic ability to a single number is not just misleading, it’s unfair. Worse, it disproportionately affects students with test anxiety, learning differences, or external struggles, punishing them for circumstances beyond their control. 

At its core, sharing test scores serves no real purpose other than fueling unnecessary competition and insecurity. Instead of fixating on numbers, schools should emphasize individual progress, helping students set personal goals and measure success in meaningful ways. The solution is simple: keep test scores private and prioritize personal growth over public comparison. Schools should foster an environment where feedback fuels improvement, not insecurity, and where success is measured by progress, not rankings. When we ditch the numbers game and prioritize real learning, every student has the opportunity to thrive. The moment we stop glorifying test scores and start prioritizing actual learning, we’ll create an environment where students feel motivated to improve, not just perform.