Jackson Ward
Everyone knows about the importance of taking the standardized tests (SAT, ACT, etc.) in order to get in college, but few people truly understand the process of physically taking the test. Taking the SAT, for instance, is a multi-month process often involving weeks of review, confusing sign ups, and menial tasks like selecting the perfect ID photo for your ticket and naming your preferred major, all before the test day even arrives.
College Board, the agency in charge of writing and administering the SAT, being painfully aware of the average teenager’s dislike of sleep, chooses to start the test promptly at 8, which means that most students wake up earlier than they normally wake up for a day of school in order to be at the school by 7:45. Students straggle in wearing an incredible assortment of pajamas, sweatpants, glasses, moccasins, and hoodies. Girls skip the makeup, boys forget to brush their hair, and everyone collectively agrees that for the next five hours, looks will not matter at all.
After arriving, however, the challenges do not end for the student. Every test taker has to fight through a mass of hundreds of students to locate their room assignment sheet, navigate the school, find their room, and make sure they have all the essential supplies to take the test; at least eight perfectly sharpened number two pencils, a good eraser, a calculator, batteries for the calculator, backup batteries in case the batteries die, a backup calculator, backup batteries for the backup calculator in case all the batteries fail, a slide rule (just in case), a hand-held pencil sharpener, their test ticket, a photo ID, a snack, a water bottle, and anything else they might need to survive being locked in a room for five hours.
When a student sits down to take a test, he or she is painfully aware of the fact that they will not be allowed to even stand up for hours. As the tests are passed out, some busily review, while others eat a quick breakfast and enjoy the last few minutes of mental relaxation. It is very interesting, however, how when five magic words are uttered, every single person reacts in the exact same way. “Good luck, you may begin,” much like a gun at the start of a race, have the ability to make every student sit down, shut up, lock in, and rely on every test-taking strategy they know to get the all important 2400.
Personally, my favorite test-taking strategy has been the power nap. This involves finishing each section before time is called, and then sleeping until the start of the next section. While this always gets me some weird looks and multiple wake-ups from the proctor, the added rest has absolutely added at least 200 points to my composite SAT score. Some scoff at the power nap, but every student has a quirky yet essential trick that allows them to work hard for five hours of standardized testing and survive the SAT.
And, I can vouch, that walking out of the school at the end of the five hours, the sun shines a little brighter, the post-test fast food run tastes a little better, and the rest of the day feels so much easier because each student knows that the pain that comes with standardized testing has come to an end (until the first Saturday of the next month).
Jackson Ward is a senior at Wilton High School. He shares this column with four classmates.