Students all around Castle View are taking the SAT and PSAT. They are preparing in many different ways and taking hours upon hours to prepare for a test that can set them up for the future. After taking a poll of about 70 students, 68 percent said they were taking it and 32 percent said they weren’t. Focusing on school and still finding time to study for the SAT is what a lot of students struggle with. For sophomore Avery White Khan Academy helps with this. 

“I’ve been doing some of the practice lessons at Khan academy, and just making sure that I’m solid in all of my classes. It was hard to find time to study and stay focused when there were distractions,” White said.

Khan Academy may be the main source for students studying due to their program having the right study guides and hundreds of practice tests. Other students just want to see the test and aren’t doing too much to study the first time around. 

  “It was my first time just taking the practice test. I didn’t really study so there were not too many challenges,” sophomore Eli thayer, said.

To prepare, there are also many different books that students have bought  for the SAT.

“I’m doing Khan Academy SAT practice and I have an SAT practice book called The Black Book I think. A problem that I have is getting off track at my house. There are a lot of distractions and things such as my phone can easily get me off track,” sophomore Colten Bellamyy said. 

The SAT is very important for college and eventually the student’s future. Some get tutors and are in tutoring programs for the best results possible.

“I’m enrolled in a tutoring program called Mindfish and I meet with them once a week and practice those sorts of questions that will show up on the test. And I’m taking occasional practice tests. A specific issue I had was the reading section and it has been a focus for me since I took my first PSAT and struggled on it. A struggle with studying for it in general is finding the time to meet with the tutor, do the homework, and take some practice tests while in sports and trying to keep a job,” junior Luke Jenson said. 

One of the biggest things to remember while taking the SAT is that it is going to be a lot of review and things that students have already learned, so going back and reviewing everything is going to be top priority for some students.

“I’m just doing the khan academy that we signed up for in advisement and once I get closer to taking it, I’ll look over some old material that I may have forgotten. The thing while studying was that I forgot to look at something and forget how to do it. So just not covering all the material I need,” sophomore Sophia Marks said. 

There are many strategies to learn to eliminate answers due to the time restrictions. Many students may spend too much time figuring out one question when in reality that one question won’t change their score drastically. No points are taken off for the wrong answer. 

“I’ve been studying and doing some practice tests to prepare myself for the SAT. The challenge for me would be not being able to figure out an answer and having to resort to asking others or googling how to do it,” junior Lucas Liddell said. 

Studying is very important but knowing the ins and outs of the test is just as important. A lot of freshmans and then the sophomores take the PSAT to really know the ins and outs of the actual SAT. 

“I’m taking SAT prep classes and studying to figure out the patterns of the test. Not understanding certain things, and not knowing or remembering how to do those problems while studying and taking practice tests,” sophomore Regan Johnston said. 

Sophomores and juniors around the school are preparing in many different ways for what some people say is the biggest test of their life and they are preparing more and more as the test gets closer.