Jenison kids take on the SAT prep.

The SAT is soon and students work with teachers after school to get some higher scores on this test.

The SAT is important to almost every student. With the always adapting standards that students are held up to, the students need to get better scores on every test that they have to take. Most colleges have a minimum SAT score you need to achieve in order to get into the college. This means that the students future depends on how they perform on this test.

The students learn more about what will be on this test and how to look out for these specific questions and how to answer them with the best of their abilities.

Where does the time go?

First, the students learned more about how to manage their time and how long they would have on each question. They were told to do a few problems within a certain amount of time as practice. They also learned how to keep a steady pace to finish each section on time. One student, Quinten Curtis, had this to say about the time management portion of the SAT prep.

“We get extra practice on what we have to do and learn more about the time management dealing with a timed test.”

School struggles

However, some students did not enjoy going even though they thought it would help their scores. Some students preferred to hang out with friends or do their own homework instead of going to prep. These SAT prep nights were on weeknights from around 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and one on a Saturday morning at 8:30. These times were tough for some students that had to work or that had no way to get back to the school. We believe that if the SAT prep sessions were right after school, people would have an easier time because they could stay at school. Joel Zepeda had this to say about SAT prep.

“I may have not liked going at all but I definitely believed it helped me improve my score.”

Tests, tests, tests

Students took standardized tests since middle school and attempted the PSAT tests twice freshman year, twice sophomore year, and a final PSAT in the beginning of their junior year. With the immense amount of practice the students have had and with these extra practice nights, everybody should be ready to take this test on.

The SAT might be the most important tests a student will take. This test can decide whether you get into a college you want to go to. This test deserves respect when it comes to deciding a students future and most kids use these study periods to get more practice in which will lead them to a better future. Kirya Watson, said the following about the SAT.

“SAT is a good way to see how smart kids are, it sounds bad when it’s put like that but its standardized.”

The SAT is a test that all juniors across the country have to take. Colleges look at these test scores when a student applies to college. The SAT is split up into 3 main sections and an essay. The SAT is made of a reading section, two math sections, and a writing section. There is a science portion but it goes in all three sections. The math SAT prep night was the night the most students attended. Most students are set on improving these scores.

Math makes the difference

Two sections compose the math section of the SAT. One portion is a no calculator test and the other is a calculator test. Both of these sections have a set number of multiple choice questions and a few student composed answers. During the SAT prep, the students were split into small groups to go over the math with calculator section and also took the no calculator portion in these small groups. In small groups, students could get a more individualized study section and more help from math teachers.

A reading into the words

Then a reading test, this tests consists of stories that the student has to answer a set of questions about. These questions can be vocabulary or just about the story itself and there is also some questions asking you to find your answers in the reading. The prep night for reading had all the students in the school’s media center. First, they took a practice test and then as a whole group they went over the answers. The next day the students were sent an email that held all of the answers and explains how to get to the answers.

Writing a new future

The writing section of the SAT consists of correcting the grammar and punctuation in a few stories. The writing section of the SAT did not actually have its own night. The students that attended the reading night took the first 10 or so questions and then got the correct answers. The most important part of this practice was that they were able to get their timing and pace right.

Saturday’s test, weekend’s best

Finally, there was the Saturday full SAT test practice. Students went to the junior high cafeteria to take the full four-hour exam. The teachers helped the students get the feel of how the real test will be. Every student there felt as if their brain fried because of all the practices they did.

After the students took the test they were able to score their tests right then and there using an app on their phones. There was also an answer packet to the whole test. Along with this, there was a packet explaining the essay portion and a packet to practice an essay in. The fact that the students were able to correct their answers and see what they did wrong just might help the students out more than thought possible.

The work of these students will pay off when students see an increase in their scores. No one knows how these SAT prep nights will affect the students future, but we do know for sure that these prep nights will get students to the next level of their lives.