As sophomores and juniors build up their college applications, students study hard for the PSAT and SAT exams to present their capabilities to colleges. The SAT exam content has an English and Math section that are both out of 800, making the whole exam out of 1600. As of March 2024, the College Board fully transitioned the SAT exam to be digital instead of the traditional paper and pencil.
John Dewey High School conducts the PSAT and SAT exams on April 10, 2025, for Sophomores and Juniors. Sophomores are taking the PSAT, which is the practice version of the SAT, to ultimately prepare students for the real test and understand their strengths and weaknesses. This will allow them to target what they need to work on for English and math, such as vocabulary, grammar, geometry, trigonometry, etc.
“I’ve been using Khan Academy for the SAT prep courses,” Junior Grace Verna said. “I took the PSAT once, and I saw that the math there was pretty similar to the one on Khan Academy.”
SAT exams are extremely stressful for students on top of all the classes they are responsible for. Many students aim to get the highest SAT score they can to get into their dream college. John Dewey High School offers many SAT after-school tutoring sessions to ensure that the students are confident in their ability to take it.
“It’s difficult for a lot of students. I would say it’s probably 4 out of 5 difficult,” Math teacher Mr. Wong expressed. “It’s not the math, but the new SAT has more of an understanding of the questions rather than knowing how to solve them.
“In the past PSAT tests and past SAT tests, students struggled with reading the questions and figuring out what they’re asking,” Math teacher Mr. Wong added. “But when they do figure out what they’re asking, the math is pretty easy.”
Not only are the PSAT and the SAT exams very difficult to comprehend, but students whose first language isn’t English are at a huge disadvantage.
“I have gone to the local library and found books with questions on the SAT, and working on it, and my English teacher has given me resources like worksheets about SAT grammar,” Junior Yimien Feng Wu stated. “I think it is really difficult for me because I came to the United States late from my home country,
“If I don’t do well on the SAT, then I will retake it.” Junior Yimien Feng Wu added.
In addition to the SAT exam, there is also the ACT, which includes a science section that the SAT lacks. It mainly focuses on the understanding of the high school curriculum, whereas the SAT is concentrated on critical thinking and problem-solving. Students who don’t perform well in either math or English can take a chance at taking the ACT.
“You should take the SAT if you’re stronger in English and math. If you feel like you need more support, and you’re good at science, then I would suggest taking the ACT,” Math teacher Mr. Wong said. “If you look at the problems for the ACT again, understanding the question and then answering it … the science section has a lot of analytical skills, and looking at graphs and tables.
“So if you’re good at that, then you should take the ACT.” Mr. Wong added.
Most colleges are now becoming test-required for incoming freshmen after being
test-optional for years because of COVID-19. Due to not being required to send test scores, students are lacking the incentive to study for the SAT or the ACT. While extracurriculars, GPA, and a student’s overall college application are important, many colleges highly value test scores when evaluating applicants.
“I think it’s important because you want to create a foundation where schools are accepting students on the same level or around the same level,” Mr. Wong stated. “I saw that MIT had a lot of issues that they were accepting students who didn’t have an SAT score, so they don’t really know if the student is ready for their courses.
“Some teachers do give out grades that aren’t reflective of their skills,” Mr. Wong added. “And so when colleges see those high scores, they will assume that the student is really good.”
The SAT day is overall very important for both sophomores and juniors to do their best. John Dewey High School encourages every student to perform well and has college counselors at the college office to assist students with their path to college success.
