As spring has officially begun, so do the juniors’ favorite standardized tests. The SAT, ACT Workkeys, and M-Step are ready to be taken by all 11th graders around the state. These dates and times have been officially sent out by the school so juniors can prepare for each of the tests.

For the SAT, testing will begin at 7:30 on April 13th. This test is roughly 4 hours long and students should be dismissed around 12:15 p.m. The following day, April 14th, is the ACT Workeys and the test is scheduled to start at 7:30 a.m. This test is shorter and will conclude after 2 hours and 45 minutes. The M-Step will take place during the school day and students will be assigned a date and time between April 18th through the 22nd. Additionally, many students will also begin testing for various AP exams in the month of May.

On each of these dates, it is highly important to eat a good breakfast, be well rested, and ready to go with all of your testing materials. Depending on the test, you will need pencils, erasers, a calculator, and a bunch of snacks and water for each of the breaks in between test sections.

Now entering the final stretch of the semester, juniors have reached a stressful and crucial point in their school year. For the SAT and ACT, students will be taking these tests and potentially sending these scores alongside their college application. After the past two years, the college admissions process has begun to shift with more test-optional, test-flexible, and test-blind schools. Although, it hasn’t diminished the stress students feel regarding these tests.

“I’m not super excited for the testing season. Thinking about it is kind of stressful, especially since I will also be taking multiple AP exams,” says junior Anna Gorczyk, “I haven’t studied a lot for the SAT, but I have started to look at study booklets to review.”

In our school’s college and career center, there are some free study packets, study books, and practice tests for juniors to check out. There are also local ACT and SAT study and tutoring centers that can be good resources for students if they feel it would be helpful. Students can also schedule a meeting with Mrs. Essig to discuss college and career paths that might be best suited for you and begin brainstorming for their college applications.

Thinking about preparing for college can be extremely stressful for juniors, but with some help, you can be prepared for anything that comes your way after high school and your journey to getting there.