By: Eric de Guzman
This October, many MHS students took the SAT, the standardized test that you take only to impress colleges, with Milpitas High finally offering the test.
Something I’ve noticed since last year is that some students take preparation for the SAT too far. Namely, the Friday before the test is administered, a decent percentage of my peers would be absent. This is presumably to rest their minds for the daunting assessment, or simply to cram as much SAT practice as they can, either having neglected studying well in the few months prior or because they are nervous.
I believe that skipping a day of class to prepare for the SAT is in most cases, ineffective, unproductive, counterproductive, or all of the above. Anecdotally, I neglected to skip school the day before my SAT last year, and I did more than fine. But I know that will not convince most, so I will put forth further rationale.
Students may feel the need to cram for the test, but preparation at the last minute does not help in the long run. The right solution in this case is to study consistently and incrementally over the course of a few months before the SAT, so if you have not done that, you should ask yourself if the SAT is actually that important to you. If you neglected to study enough before the test, the SAT is obviously not important enough to warrant skipping class; if you studied well, you most likely would not even need to take the day off.
Some SAT takers may also reason that a day off from school to clear the mind or rest the body for the dreaded test would help their scores, or make them feel a little less anxious about taking the SAT. I think this submission to lethargy is not going to help. Taking a day break from school studies for the SAT is akin to lazing around the day before you compete in sports; doing exercise and warm-ups, balanced with rest, would be much more useful.
And in the rare event that this self-imposed vacation does pay off in the SAT, students are still missing class. Student may lag behind in schoolwork and shoulder the burden of making up tests and instruction, and it is easy for your educational baggage to pile up.
However, I know that there may actually be valid instances in which one can skip school the day before the SAT. Maybe you know that the school day will be free, devoid of tests or instruction, and perhaps you would be more productive at home taking a practice test.
But occasions like this are a rarity, so I still would not even consider skipping class an option as opposed to just studying normally over a long period of time. I would not stake my test score on the off chance that school will not teach me anything one day, and you shouldn’t either.
All in all, there is no reason for students to be cutting class the day before the SAT: it is not a productive way for students to prepare for the SAT, it will in most cases negatively impact their progress in school, and it shows that students hold both their academic career and their SAT scores in low regard.
Besides, the SAT is not something to be really anxious about, when weighed against the much more important task of finding your college and career, as well as doing proficiently in your high school academic career, and balancing school and extracurriculars, and work, and so on and so forth. In short, there are better things to worry about.
So worry less, live a little, and know the score you get on one test, administered by a profiting nonprofit company, a test that matters less and less to colleges, does not matter in comparison to most anything else you live your life for.