The SAT and ACT are tests that counselors recommend students to take during their junior and beginning of their senior year. Photo by: Michaela Moreno
By Michaela Moreno
Every year, a new group of students find themselves registering for the SAT, or even the ACT, and every year is as nerve racking as the year before.
The SAT, also known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, measures critical reading, math, and writing. Many colleges look at these scores during admission time because these scores show a student’s chance of academic success in their first year of college. The SAT can be taken at Plymouth High School in November.
The ACT was known as American College Testing until 1996 when it was decided to leave the name as ACT. The ACT measures critical reading, math, and science. According to guidance counselor Mrs. Stacy Scheetz, writing is optional but encouraged to be taken. The ACT can be taken at Plymouth High School in June.
Counselors like Mrs. Scheetz would like students “to take [the SAT and ACT] their junior year and [the] beginning of their senior year.” “We want them to have the best scores before college applications are sent out in October during their senior year,” said Mrs. Scheetz.
On the subject of whether one of the tests are more important than the other, Mrs. Scheetz said, “It depends on what college you are applying to. Some might prefer one over the other.” As reported by Mrs. Scheetz, Indiana schools take both [the ACT and SAT].
Lisa Carnegie and Denise Altheide are two freshmen who have not taken the SAT or ACT. Carnegie is not sure, “what grade [or] how old you have to be to take [them].” She does, however, plan on taking them her sophomore year. Altheide, on the other hand, plans on taking the SAT and ACT her junior and senior years. Like Carnegie and Altheide, sophomore Tucker Pletcher has not taken the SAT or ACT either. He plans on taking them next year. Pletcher, as well as Carnegie, are both expecting these tests to be huge books filled with lots of questions.
Freshman Hope Banghart is one of the few freshmen who has taken one of these tests. She took the ACT last winter because she was given a chance to go farther than most kids her age. “I knew having practice early on would help me when I had to take it to get into college,” said Banghart. Junior Hayley Morris took one test as well, but instead of the ACT, she took the SAT. Morris said, “I took it in the beginning of January so I could see how well I could do on it and later retake it and improve my score.” In other ways, seniors Kylie Ludwig and Katy McGory took both tests because they are necessary. Of all the test locations these students went to, Culver Military Academy was the most common.
A common fear among those who have take either the SAT, ACT, or both, was failure. McGrory said this was her fear, “because it’s the scores the colleges look at.” Morris and Banghart were worried about other things. “What worried me the most was getting done with a certain section in time,” said Morris. While Banghart worried that she would know no one other than her sister, who was also taking the test. She would get nervous just because of that. Morris had not expected to know anyone either, “but there were actually a lot of Plymouth people that I knew and that made me feel more comfortable.”
Sitting in a room for hours bothers some people, while being in a room full of strangers bothers other. For McGory, the worst thing about taking her test was, “that annoying noise the lights made.” The worst thing for Morris was time constraints, especially during the 20 minutes she was given to write her essay. Other than that, not knowing the answers was the worst for many students.
Students like Ludwig and Morris found their classes to be very helpful in preparing them for their tests, especially their English classes. Ludwig found the SAT vocabulary book that was used in class to be very helpful. Morris claimed the English common assessment tests taken in class helped her out a lot on the SAT. In flat opposition, Banghart felt that her classes did not prepare her for the ACT. “My classes were not focused on it since it was a personal over-achievement and not a standardized test,“ Banghart explained.
McGory, Ludwig, and Morris did not study for their tests. McGory claims that she did not study because she never studies. Morris said she did not study because it was her first time taking a test like this, and she did not know what to study or to expect. Banghart is one of the students who did study. “I wanted to do my best,” Banghart explained. She used an ACT study book that her“sister had from the first time she took the test.” Pletcher, who has not taken either test, plans to study using online tools. Mrs. Scheetz encourages students to take some of the numerous free online practice tests. “Get online and practice! Don’t pay to study for the test,” recommended Mrs. Scheetz.
Ludwig, who took both the SAT and ACT, determined that she liked the SAT better. This is because there were more breaks. She revealed that the ACT was easier.
Previous test takers Morris and Ludwig recommend future test takers to get a good nights sleep, eat a hearty breakfast, and to relax.
Some students used a practice guide to prepare for the test, while others did not study at all. Photo by: Michaela Moreno