The SAT is quickly approaching, and many junior classrooms are electric with anxiety and worry.

Next Wednesday, April 12,  juniors will be taking the College Board’s SAT. To some, this is the most important test of their high school career. 

However, it is important to recognize that the SAT is not as important as it once was. According to PrepScholar, many colleges no longer require SAT/ACT scores for their admissions, as of the 2022-2023 school year. However, colleges may opt to change this policy and return to the pre-COVID policy. 

On a more Michigan specific level, major colleges such as University of Michigan, Michigan State, Central Michigan, Grand Valley State and Western Michigan  do not require SAT scores for applicants. 

However, it’s still important to try your best because a high SAT score can be a boost in your application. 

There are many tips and tricks to get a high SAT score besides just getting a good night of sleep or eating a good breakfast. 

Two Norrix students used various studying methods for the SAT and achieved a high score.
Loy Norrix 2023’s valedictorian, Guthrie Harris, and salutatorian,  Benjamin Whitsett, were both awarded National Merit Scholarships. The National Merit Scholarship is a nationwide competition, and the eligibility is decided by your PSAT score. 

Even though they’re high achieving students, they still had to study for the SAT.

“The main thing that I did is take practice tests,” said Harris. “You can connect your Khan Academy with your College Board account and they tailor [questions] specifically for what you need to work on, based on your PSAT scores, which was super helpful.”

Linking your Khan Academy account with your PSAT scores is incredibly quick and easy. According to the College Board’s tutorial, it’s a three step process and, most importantly, it’s free. 

Most students’ anxieties center around the math portion of the exam. According to Best Colleges, on average people score lower on the math portion of the SAT than the reading section. Although, the margin is somewhat slim. 

Norrix statistics teacher Bradley Schmidt urges students to focus on areas that they might not be as familiar with. 

“There’s a lot of statistics questions on the SAT… that a lot of kids don’t get access to because they don’t take statistics. Kids really need to focus on knowing statistics,” said Schmidt. 

Every year, Schmidt reviews the released SAT questions for the math portion so he can better prepare his students for the SAT.

  “[Knowing] things like means, proportions and things like that. Most of [the SAT] is algebra, calculating with simple linear equations or as complex as rational equations,” said Schmidt.

However, both Harris and Whitsett voiced their struggle with the reading portion of the English section. 

“[The hardest questions are] definitely the kinds of questions where you’re going to debate back and forth that will typically come up in more of the English sections,” said Whitsett. “Those are the questions that you really have to keep working through and get inside the test writers’ minds.” 

Harris agrees and cites interpretation as the biggest barrier between the test takers and the test writers. 

“The reading multiple choice test, where you have to interpret stuff, is hard because it’s not as formulaic as the rest of the test,” said Harris. “That’s something you sort of have to study how the SAT writers usually interpret the meaning and the general themes you’re supposed to focus on.”

English 11 teacher Brianna English recommends that students utilizStudents and teachers give advice to juniors preparing to take the SATe the process of elimination when debating between answers on the reading portion of the SAT. 

“The reading section is honestly a super challenging test because there’s science based questions, social studies based questions. I think there is more interpretation. I’d go with which one has the most evidence that points to it,” said English. “If you’re stuck between a few answers, which one do you have absolutely no question about?” 

If you’re unsure where to start in your last minute studying, the best thing to do is practice tests. The College Board provides free downloadable SAT Practice Tests, and there are many others you can find online. The guidance office also has “The Official SAT Study Guide” available for any junior that needs one.. 

“Take more practice tests. It helps you get more familiar with what the SAT is looking for,” said English.

Whitsett and Harris also recommended doing practice tests. 

But, most importantly, don’t overstress yourself. Focusing only on scoring high on the SAT will just distract you from doing well. Relax as much as you can, study and then do your best.