The SAT is an exam presented by CollegeBoard in order to estimate high schoolers’ preparedness for their future in college. This test focuses on a student’s ability to answer questions in limited amounts of time. It is given to juniors at charter, although there are many sophomores and seniors that register for the exam outside of school. Many students do not believe that the SAT is necessary and should not matter when applying to colleges.

The SAT is presented as the determining factor when deciding what college to go into. However, if this exam is so important, should teachers have a responsibility to teach students how to take the test? Yes, even though students can research and study on their own, having an experienced adult to help them is necessary.

There are many teachers that do incorporate SAT prep into their curriculum, but is it enough? Many just give students practice exams, tell them they have all periods to get it done, then don’t go over or teach concepts that are misunderstood. This is the main problem students are experiencing, resulting in poor SAT scores.

Gianna Candio, a junior, explained that she feels that none of her teachers have done enough preparation in class for the exam. Candio also stated that she has very little time outside of school to prepare herself for the SAT due to sports and work.

Further, Isa Ruiz, a junior, says that she was prepared “knowledge wise” but lacks necessary time management skills. This proves that teachers need to incorporate more lessons about how to actually take the test and learn the information that will be seen on the exam.

Suzette Smith, a junior, also experienced a similar problem with having work and other school related priorities, not allowing enough time to study on her own. This brings up the importance of teachers providing preparation in class and not leaving it up to the students because they may not have time after school to study.

Teachers need to improve their curriculum so that their students will feel more prepared when taking this important test. Candio believes that going over more strategies on how to take the test, such as time management and technical features, would allow her to perform better on the SAT. Ruiz raised the importance of doing more practice tests throughout the school year, and not just a couple weeks before students take the test. Teachers, specifically in reading and math subjects, should put in more effort to prepare students for the SAT.

Overall, SAT preparation is very important and should be taught during school to make students feel more comfortable when taking the test. Core class teachers need to introduce more practice tests, test taking techniques, and actual academic information in order for students to perform better on the infamous SAT.