By Hannah Nicholson, staff writer
The season of standardized testing is upon us. While the Keystone Testing window begins today and runs through May 23 for the sophomores, juniors and seniors college preparatory exams are in full swing. At the start of May, juniors took the SAT and Advanced Placement United States History test (APUSH), and seniors took the Advanced Placement English Literature test.
The SAT is intended to assess students’ readiness for college, and it is out of 1600 points unless it is taken with the optional essay, which will makes the top score 2400.
Advanced Placement tests are traditionally taken after taking an Advanced Placement course. If you score at least a three on the test, which is out of 5 points, then most colleges will count that test for 1 college credit.
Many juniors took the SAT on May 6, at either Conneaut Area High School or General McLane High School. Though many students worried about the test, junior Erik Murphy advises against worrying. “It was easier than I expected, and I felt like I was prepared,” Murphy said.
The SAT is comprised of three tests: Reading, Writing and Language, Math without a calculator, Math with a calculator, and the optional Essay. Murphy hopes to score a 1300, but he does plan on taking it again to try for a higher score.
Not quite as many juniors took the AP U.S. History test, only 11 students. They took the AP U.S. History test on May 5. There were three sections of the AP test: multiple choice, short answer, and essay. Maddie Stevens had the most trouble with the essays, but she felt mostly prepared. She suggests to future AP U.S. History test takers that you need to study a lot on your own, and not to just rely on in-class notes because of how much content will be on the test. “The parts of history you don’t expect to be on the test will definitely be on the test, so study everything,” Stevens said.
Thirteen seniors took the AP Literature and Composition exam on May 3. Senior Sydney Kightlinger is hoping to score a five on the test. The two parts of this AP test were multiple choice and essay. There were three essays altogether. Kightlinger had a problem with time management on the essay section of the test. “I had a hard time with time management because I have a lot to say. I write a lot,” Kightlinger said. She advises future AP English test takers to read a lot outside of class. “Read anything and everything, nothing will hurt you,” Kightlinger said.
The next SAT date is June 3, and while the registration date has already passed, late registrations are still being accepted until May 24. The ACT registration date for the June 10 test has passed as well, but late registrations will be accepted until May 17.
