SAT and ACT are two acronyms that may bring feelings of fear, nervousness, and dread into high school students. Which one should I take? When should I take it? How well do I need to do in order to get into my dream college? These questions often specifically plague juniors who are just beginning to think about the college process. This year’s juniors are faced with an even more complicated conundrum: the College Board has released a new version of the SAT that will begin to be administered in March 2016. Therefore the class of 2017 must now decide between taking the ACT, old SAT, or new SAT.

Students at Harriton across all grades have many different opinions and advice for tackling these standardized tests.

“They’re unfair because if you can afford a tutor you can get extra help that could raise your test scores,” says junior Aaron Deutsch. (The National Honor Society does offer free tutoring for standardized testing – forms are in the Learning Center.)

“Study early so you don’t have to stress. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t get the score you were planning to have, everything will work out in the end,” advises fellow junior Lorenzo Solon.

The panic that is oftentimes associated with the SAT and ACT is noticed by even freshmen at Harriton. “I feel like they are very, very stressful but if you start preparation more near the beginning of high school I think a person should do pretty well,” said freshman Nina Hoog.

However, hen asked if fellow students in the freshmen class have begun to worry about these tests even in their first year of high school, Nina said, “I haven’t heard anyone really talk about them. Just juniors complain about them, but I don’t think anyone in my grade is thinking about them let alone is worried about it.”

When looking for advice about how to handle the SATs and ACTs, underclassmen can always look to seniors who have just been through the feverish process of standardized testing for college admissions. Senior Jackson Kane advises juniors to “remember that they aren’t everything. They are just another part of applying, just like essays, grades, and interviewing. My advice is to stay calm while taking the test. I think [that] is just as important as being prepared.”

All in all, these Harriton students have learned the value of keeping calm and preparing early when it comes to the SATs and ACTs. Happy testing, Harriton.