

Standardized testing is:
in theory: a tool to ensure that student knowledge and aptitude in a given subject are examined with the same criteria across different schools.
in practice: a test used across schools, mostly composed of multiple-choice and true-false quizzes, and short-answer or essay writing requirements which are assigned a score by people other than the student's teacher.
Standardized testing is any test that is used across a variety of schools or other situations. Designers of such tests must specify a discrete correct answer for every question. This type of test includes both achievement (which measures knowledge already known) and aptitude (which attempts to predict future performance or potential) tests given to grade-school students, the British GCSEs, and the American SATs. Source: Wikipedia.