Reactions to the October SAT

By Cynthia Wang

OCTOBER 6th 2018 – At around 8:15 AM, the doors to the big gym opened as Mrs. Barinni swept out, quickly sorting through students and designating test takers to their respective rooms.

The vast majority of students were taking the SAT with Essay in the big gym, while students taking SAT Subject Tests were allocated to the side gym, leaving the SAT without Essay students to Ms. Betzabeth’s room in the Spanish hallway.

As students entered the gym, many were anxious, more of them cold. Junior Grace Chen said that she could only think about how the gym was “so cold.”

Senior Steven Shi said, “I really hope I do well,” echoing the prayers of all test-takers as they began their tests.

“I felt quite anxious,” says Junior Karen Hu, “and I repeatedly questioned myself: Will it be hard? I think I’m going to fail.”

When asked about his feelings after the test, Shi said, “I felt nothing. Being in the midst of college application season, I have become numb to all these “challenges.” The SAT is not a beast and if you start early and put in some effort you can finish in a few months with a score you desire.”

Shi advises sophomores and juniors to begin preparing early, warning them against procrastination, matching the words of Hu. She said, “The only way to be prepared is to be patient. Do a bunch of SAT practice tests and make sure you persist in your practice for a long period of time.”

Juniors Deborah Chiao and Grace Chen say that they will definitely retake the SAT with Essay, both setting their eyes upon the upcoming March SAT. Shi, on the other hand, is fairly satisfied with his scores.
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“It was a box I had to check, and I did. I’m moving on to the next step: college essays."