Students all around the country are preparing to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

The SAT is what most colleges look at to see what a student has learned over the course of their education. 

This is not like any other test, either. This assessment has different sections, and each is  timed; and, for some sections for the math portion, the student is not allowed to have a calculator.

“It’s messed up that it’s timed” junior Aaron Osborn said, “because if you don’t understand a section or a problem, then you need more time but you can’t.”

For many juniors and seniors, this assessment is adding more stress to their last few years in high school. They worry about getting a high enough score to get into a good college.

“It’s a big part of getting into college,” junior Roberto Velasquez said, “your dream college can go down the drain with a poor SAT score.”

Many students were and are nervous about having to take this exam. It is a whole new concept which they have not been exposed to, even though most students have taken the PSAT. This is an assessment to prepare students for the real test.  

“There is no reason to be nervous,” senior Nick Douglass said, “it’s math and english skills that we’ve all learned by tenth grade.”

Although the students are stressed, they are doing their very best to prepare. Lots of teenagers have been reading the booklet and taking practice tests.

“I am in English 11 right now and I felt pretty confident in the English,” junior Kayleigh Eason said, “I wasn’t as confident about the math, so the night before I reviewed the notes I took in Algebra 2”

Even though a lot of students say the SATs are stressful, there is really nothing to worry about.

“Students shouldn’t be stressed for the SAT,” junior Emily Alexander said, “because there are many opportunities for them to retake the test before colleges make the acceptance decisions.”