On March 5, 725 juniors will come to school and take a test that can determine their college acceptances, alter their career paths or ultimately just be another standardized test they’ll never look back to.
The SAT is a nation-wide standardized test that debuted in 1926. While the test has gone through several formatting and name changes, one thing has stayed consistent: what the test does. While colleges do often have a test-optional selection when applying, tests like the SAT can help a student stand out. The test is used by colleges across the globe to help determine whether or not a student is viable for admittance into their university.
Students around the nation have several resources provided via the internet to prepare themselves for the test, but students are also given the ability to prepare in their own methods, or not at all.
”I’ve been using a few resources to get ready for the test,” junior Cinthia Garcia said. “I’ve been doing a lot of work on Khan Academy and utilizing an SAT prep book I got to give myself the best chance at a high score on the test.”
Students have been using books like Kaplan’s SAT prep plus and College Board’s Official SAT Prep Guide to maximize their resources and give themselves a head start.
For students who’ve already taken the SAT, the test on Tuesday is an opportunity to improve their scores and learn for future attempts, should they need or want it.
“My first attempt with the SAT, I went in without much prep so I could see where I was at,” junior Audrey Booher said. “After knowing what I needed to work on, I started taking practice tests and writing down takeaways and what I could improve on. I’ve done this a couple of times in hopes of training myself to recognize the patterns of questions on the test.”
Another student setting goals for his SAT score is junior Quinn Smith. Smith said his goal for Tuesday is to score at least 1550.
“I have taken the SAT before and this is the goal I set after taking it the first time. I’m working to achieve this by looking for test taking strategies to better use my time during the test and looking at some practice language questions,” Smith said.
With the SAT rapidly approaching, students will be receiving a chance to grow. Whether this is their first, last or somewhere-in-between attempt for them, the SAT is something that can change a student’s life forever. For more information or resources to prepare for the SAT, visit the College Board’s website.
