![Hosting the SCLA Casptone Mentor Dinner outside allowed for more attendees on September 27, 2021 at Silver Creek. This event would’ve usually been held inside. According to Lauren Kohn, a SCLA 12 teacher, “If we have a higher number of people, as long as we can host the event outside, then that seems to be keeping every[one] safe”.](https://schsnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/sxMAIGbSYGodZkqmrvTi5YWcJ1ssWA08ApkeMLpp-900x675.jpeg)
Typically, when a student is asked about SAT’s, their first thought isn’t always positive. Preparing for the SAT’s often causes a whirlwind of thoughts to swirl through students’ heads. Two junior students from Silver Creek High School, McKenzie Palles and Izabella McGee, understand what goes through a student’s mind while preparing for the SATs.
“The first thing that comes to mind when I’m asked about the SAT is probably the work and studying that I have to put into it,” Palles said.
Though many people’s first thoughts about the SATs are how hard it is to study and how much time it takes, not many people mention what they do to prepare for the test. Thankfully, Palles and McGee have good study habits which can be used by others.
“Kahn Academy made a huge difference in my studying,” McGee said. “I was able to get professional tutoring and practice with Khan Academy often to prepare.”
Even though they used free world-wide online education often to study, both Izabella and McKenzie reached out further than just books and resources like Kahn Academy, such as getting tutoring or finding a course to help them better understand what the test is like and what they were going to be taking.
“An actual class where a professional came in and talked to us about tips and tricks for taking the SAT really helped us study better as well,” Palles said.
Contrary to their good study habits and steps they took to prepare, it was still a struggle for them and other students during the few weeks leading up to SAT’s.
”I think that teachers should recognize that students also need to study for the SAT, and lift the workload that they give their students,” Palles said. “It also didn’t help that they planned to have prom that weekend. I felt burnt out.”
Other students take the opportunity to retake the SAT on a Saturday, giving them more time to study.
“If I were to take the SATs again,” McGee said. “I would have begun preparing much earlier so that I could reduce stress and feel more prepared.”
Many kids take the P-SATs their freshman and sophomore years leading up to taking the SAT their junior year, and some value its contribution to their preparation.
“The P-SAT was extremely helpful because I was able to get a good feel for the format of the test,” McGee said. “I was able to get the general understanding of the types of questions which would appear on the test.”
Just because most topics brought up when SATs are mentioned are about how hard it is to study or how time-consuming and stressful it is doesn’t mean that’s how the entire experience is.
“It was rocky at first, managing my classes while also managing studying and making sure I was prepared for the SAT,” Palles said, “but after a few weeks I fell into a rhythm.”
Taking and preparing for the SAT’s may be a dreadful task or scary thought for many students who are getting closer and closer to taking it, but it doesn’t mean it’s not important in school. Finding good study habits and extra resources such as the ones Palles and McGee used to prepare, as well as taking P-SATs during the first years in high school, can really help kids prepare and are very important resources that students should take advantage of when given the opportunity to make the SATs seem less scary and make kids feel ready for such an important thing.
