Why do students bother with school work and the stress of high school? The answer is as simple as an the acronym SAT, also known as the Scholarship Aptitude Test.
The SAT is used to measure the learning capability of a student for future success and is a main focus point for many colleges. I am a junior and I too deal with all the expected stresses of post-graduation plans. It is very easy to become lost in high school, procrastinate until the last minute, and expect the future to work itself out.
However, when it comes to the SAT, there is no correct way to approach it. Many people say to get the practice book and study, as many do. Others, like junior honors student Kayla Toft, “would probably have used Kahn Academy,” a website designed to help students better understand concepts they struggle with. Lindsey Stafford, another junior honors student, uses “a study book that I look at 20 to 30 minutes a night. Sometimes it’s less than that, sometimes it’s a little bit more, just depends on the night I am having.”
Stafford’s time commitment is something that I wish I could incorporate into my preparation. I am in three honors classes and I play year-round sports. Being a driving 16-year old, I would be lucky to see my mom on a weekday, much less study for the SAT.
The test itself is not required by every college, however many do use them for admission. This being said, it can be concluded that the SAT draws a crowd of people who take pride in their studies. Stafford adds to this idea saying, “It is such an important factor to getting into the college you want to.” Luckily for me, I am not dead-set on going to any one college in particular. However, there are students out there who have their heart and future committed to a specific school.
During this time of year, with the holidays around the corner and finals breathing down their necks, the levels of anxiety and stress for students should come as no surprise. “I feel nervous and I hope I do good on it,” says Toft. She too deals with the stress “because it is another thing I have to think about and do well on right before finals.”
Stafford provides a new perspective, explaining that she feels “in the middle between confident and not confident. I think that I can potentially do really well if I just make sure to take my time.” Junior Mallory Borrego is also “really nervous to take the SAT” but believes “it is really hyped-up and it’s not going to be that bad.”
I agree with Borrego’s opinion that the SAT is “over-rated.” Throughout our young adult years, students undergo STAR testing, a test used to determine where they stand academically, in comparison to others. I think the SAT resembles the STAR test, which means that students have, in technicality, been preparing for the SAT since they were in elementary school.
Despite everything, most students remain frightened by the SAT and rely on books and online courses to prepare them. I too will use these methods for my upcoming SAT. However, if students think about it for what it is, the SAT is just another STAR test. If you have been working hard throughout school then, with a little bit of refreshment, you should do fine.
