For many juniors in the county, April 9th marks the first time they will take the SAT. Notorious for consuming numerous hours of studying and making or breaking college applications, the SAT plays a huge role in the lives of many high school students.

The SAT will consists of three main sections: Reading, Writing, and Math. The total testing time for the SAT is roughly about three hours.

The full break down looks like this:

• Reading-65 minutes
• Writing-35 minutes
• Math (With Calculator)- 55 minutes
• Math (Without Calculator)-25 minutes

Mrs. Cornwell, the Literacy Coach at the OCSA says that one advice that she recommends for students is to “work on testing strategies as well as stress and anxiety techniques.” She feels that a lot of students will experience test anxiety before they take the SAT’s and that it can definitely affect their performance on the test. Mrs. Cornwell says that the SAT’s are a big factor in getting accepted into a college that the student chooses, but “there are many other factors that students should also focus on such as getting good grades, participating in several clubs, and volunteering in their local community.”

Mrs. Carswell, an English teacher at the OCSA says that she prepares her students for the SAT by requiring them to practice on Khan Academy. She recommends Khan Academy as a practice because she believes that it is the best program that replicates what the students should see on the real exam. “Serious and dedicated time with Khan Academy will improve scores… The more students dedicate themselves to serious preparation, the higher their scores will be.” In addition, Mrs. Carswell says that timing yourself a lot will make a difference. “Students should go to bed early, unplug everything, and do absolutely nothing, but relax the night before.” Mrs. Collier, a Math teacher at the OCSA says that students should ultimately work on and understand their resources.

Overall, the best way to prepare for the SAT’s is to learn about the structure of the test and find different ways to adapt strategies to improve on each section.