In the past decade, major attention has been given to the power of tests and to the pivotal roles tests play in societies in shaping the definitions of language, affecting learning and teaching, and maintaining and creating social class. Accordingly, the quality of tests is not judged merely by their psychometric traits but also in relation to their impact, ethicality, fairness, values and consequences. The acceptance of the view that testing needs to be interpreted within broader societal and political contexts is manifested in research and writings in the field of language testing that examines the ways in which tests interact with a variety of societal factors. In this article, the author calls for a view of tests as tools that serve as a basis for negotiating more democratic testing and a closer connection to real policies. Language tests should mediate ideologies and practices in more open, democratic and negotiable ways, and prevent the use of tests as powerful mechanisms capable of imposing draconian policies that have no empirical base.