Rethinking the SATs

Junior year is a stressful time for many high school students; in particular, taking the SAT can be overwhelming. With the pandemic, there have been special accommodations to make the administration of this exam possible. At SHS, students were able to take the SAT in school during normal school hours on a weekday.

Before the pandemic, SATs were administered at 8:00 AM on designated Saturdays. Students would go from being in school all week, completing all of their schoolwork and homework, and then taking one of the biggest exams during the weekend.

Adding to the potential anxiety, taking the SAT at another high school with unfamiliar people can be challenging.  Since Scituate High School does not plan to administer the SAT during the upcoming 2021-22 academic year, students will need to find another location.

Being able to take the SAT at a student’s own school takes away this stress factor, allowing the student to focus on the test and the material rather than the school and the people. 

Anyone who takes the SAT hopes to do the best that they can. Allowing students to take the exam within school hours would benefit all SHS students in the long run. This simple accommodation could help students achieve excellence.