Klein Collins juniors are required to take the SAT during school Wed., March 6. The SAT is meant to give colleges a good idea of the student’s knowledge of basic skills. According to assistant principal Kasi Griffin, the SAT can help students get accepted to colleges and earn scholarships.

“Colleges use SAT scores for placement with courses and scholarships opportunities,” Griffin said. “SAT scores show colleges your readiness for certain college coursework. When you take the SAT, you have the opportunity to sign up to hear from colleges that have an interest in you based on your SAT scores and other factors.”

Students have had plenty of practice for the SAT. They have been taking Practice SATs, or PSATs, since freshman year, and there are additional practice lessons on places like Khan Academy and Schoology, according to Griffin. And according to junior Jiselle Smith, the PSATs from the previous years were helpful in preparation for the SAT.

“[You’re] just getting used to type of questions that they’re going to ask, just like what’s going to be on it,” Smith said. “It’s a decisive factor. If you want to get into a certain college, you’ve got to have a certain score.”

The SAT is divided into four sections: reading, writing/language, math and an optional essay. Smith said that she is most worried about the math section, whereas junior Christian Mark Palma is more concerned about the reading portion. According to Palma, he has done a little practice for the SAT and hopes to make a good score to be able to attend in-state colleges such as University of Texas and Rice.

“I don’t feel too much pressure,” Palma said. “I did pretty well on the PSAT and I feel like what I’m doing in English and what I’m doing in my other classes is helping me prepare for it.”

Failing the SAT is something that most juniors are worried about when taking it. If they do fail, however, they have more chances to retake it.

“If students score well enough, they can begin applying for early acceptance to colleges,” Griffin said. “If they don’t do as well as they had hoped, they can use the platforms mentioned [above] to address their weaknesses and then pay to retake the SAT before they are in a last minute crunch to apply their senior year.”