worn out shocks usually don't effect the ride height, a quick and dirty test for checking struts/shocks is bouncing the car and seeing how it reacts, one step further i do is bounce the car from the centerline of the car (middle of the bumper) this way you are loading both sides and you can see if one side is more worn then the other, one side worse then the other causes some weird handling problems and cars with blown shocks on opposite corners can get damn right spooky
all america wants is cold beer warm cat and a place to take a poop with a door on it