Bubbles. Questions. Passages. Problems. Once one is thrown into the midst of high school the SAT is one of the most prominent topics students are informed of. The SAT is a standardized assessment administered to all high school students with the option to take it as early as their sophomore year but the test is typically centered for junior students.
Juniors take the assessment in preparation for college as scores are reviewed in the admissions process. One of the structures for the SAT includes only a reading/writing section and a math section. Another structure of the test includes a writing piece; however, this version does not weigh better in college admissions. Schools have also provided a PSAT which acts as a prerequisite for the SAT as it provides freshmen and sophomores with the opportunity to prepare for the exam with a similar style of questions and responses.
For most students, with the exception of the above-average brilliant students, the SAT requires countless hours of preparation, studying and practice tests. Senior Olivia McMichen shares her frustration with the exam, “I feel like I studied so much for a test that makes us all look so similar. I feel that I can show colleges more in other ways like my grades and involvement in school.”
The SAT takes about three hours to complete and often takes place on a Saturday morning once a month. The dreading passages include fiction, social science and history passages, as well as two science passages. With the variety of texts, students are expected to have knowledge of varying topics tested from the previous three years of high school. After embarking on the literature journey, students are drowned in several courses of math with problems that almost beg for the reader to choose the wrong answer. The problem style showcases questions that often trap students based on one style of thinking. This is not only frustrating, but exhausting. Senior Grace McMichen shared feelings on the subject, “The SAT can be hard for those who struggle with test taking. It seems unfair that one test can have such a big impact on if you will be accepted into the college you want.”
The SAT expects all students to fall in one standard way of thinking and the scores reflect this. If the student is exceptional in one area versus the other, it will not help on this assessment as everyone is graded the same. Studying for this test is a challenge as the student is not aware of all that will be on the test. Even after completing every practice test that is provided by College Board, completing hours of practice on Khan Academy and taking the PSAT twice, as well as the SAT twice, scores could still not reflect the talent of the student.
Excelling 4.0 achieving students can struggle on this exam, even if they are exceptional students and immensely involved with leadership and extracurricular activities. Luckily, this exam is not the only topic examined in the admissions process and schools are taking steps to remove the exam from the process, or at least make it optional. Harvard is test optional until at least the 2026 admissions group as it will be re-reviewed then. This decision is beneficial to students as this exam is a challenge and another weight of stress added for students. Students are constantly trying to build the “perfect” resume. Feeling pressured to take every AP class offered, join each club, volunteer and find leadership positions and titles to make you feel more competitive in your application are all things that most seniors applying to college face. On top of each task, trying to balance work, friends, relationships, mental health and home life makes the four years in high school stressful.
The SAT puts all students in the same bubble. They are looked at the same. Colleges emphasize the necessity of being unique and different than the stereotypical student, which makes this test seem pointless. Without the stress of this unnecessary and wretched exam, students can be looked at more as individuals and also will have less pressure during the challenging four years of high school.
