But there are disadvantages to that one test system as well. ... The stress put on testing for that one test becomes the most important thing for most teenagers. And when they fail their one chance? And doing well on one test isn't really a good indicator for how well a student will do in college.
The A level's aren't exactly the same as ONE test taken at ONE time. You do get to specialize in subjects, and while they are only given once a year you can re-take them the next year. They are more like HUGE final exams more than college admissions tests.
The choice seems to be
get stressed about an exam you'll be taking in 6-9 months, with a complete understanding of the university admissions requirements vs.
constant stress from an age as early as 5 coupled with a college admissions process that's opaque . The lack of transparency adds to the problem here.
I'll take the A-level/Irish Leaving Cert./French Bac./etc. approach any day over that. No need for resume-building activities, and no need to be pointy and well-rounded at the same time. Just one exam (well, series of exams). Everyone takes the same one, and everyone is held to the same standards (though the UK seems to have started an interview process; I don't know a lot about it, but am not sure if it's a good idea?).
Life involves stress. There's no way around that and no way around exam stress and college admissions stress. But that doesn't mean that we have to go out of our way to pretend we're being meritocratic when we're not. As you noted, in other countries, you can take the exit exam again. I know a lot of people who did this. In Europe, it's not a big deal. If it is in other countries, that's a societal problem, not a problem with the admissions system.
Saying this clearly: a huge driver of the pressure in this country is the opaque and discriminatory system used by college admissions committees and the pervasive inequality in our society.
