On Wednesday, March 27, the junior class will be taking the in-school SAT. The SAT is composed of four sections which includes, math multiple choice/open-ended, grammar, reading comprehension, and a written portion. However, this SAT does not offer the written section so students who plan to take this must schedule to take it in a later date. It is a stressful time for juniors, who have to balance studying for the SAT along with the rest of their normal school-work. Luckily, there are people who have previously taken part in the SAT and are willing to help. Below, current seniors Donny Sauer, Anna Garvey, Gabe Galley, Kellie Sartoris, and Sarah Sartoris reflect on their experience in taking the SAT and offer advice to the juniors.

Kellie Sartoris: “I personally only took the SAT twice, one of which was the school administered one. I didn’t take the SAT class but I’m pretty content with my score. The second time I took it I actually did 100 points worse than the first time so I’m not really sure if it’s reliable test to be judging students on. I would just say to not get too worked up about it. Although it is an important factor for getting into college, it’s not the end of the world if you do badly. We’ve been taking exams like the SAT since 3rd grade, so there’s really no reason to feel super anxious about it.”

Donny Sauer: “Study advice would be to skip and come back if you don’t know an answer, have a letter picked so if you do skip one or if you don’t have time to go back you have something down. Also pace yourself, sleep the night before, and plan your essay before you start writing it, it will probably end up saving you time. I took it three times, twice with the essay, and my experience was nothing special, I just studied and did my best. Another tip would be don’t pay the money and waste the time taking it a second or third time if you did not study since the last time you took it. You probably will not get a better score.”

Gabe Galley: “I guess my experience in taking it wasn’t quite as traumatizing as many upperclassman make it out to be. If you focus, the time for each section goes by quickly and before you know it you’re finished. It’s also important to remember that millions of other kids across the country are taking it at the same moment, and you are in no way alone in your preparedness or ability to do well.”

Thank you to all of the seniors for the advice and good luck to all of the juniors!