Testing season is arguably the most stressful time for a student. It comes with a lot of worry, anxiety, and preparation. There’s a lot of pressure and anticipation about whether you will pass or fail. Upcoming tests for Sahuaro students are the ACT for juniors on April 9th, who also just took the AZ Science Exam, and the ACT Aspire for freshmen on April 22nd and 23rd.

Testing can affect any grade level, whether it comes down to benchmarks, ACTs, those weekly quizzes, or finals. Since we are reaching the end of the year, one of the most stressful tests is approaching for juniors, the ACT. The ACT can put a big dent in whether a college will accept you or not depending on the score you receive, particularly IVY League schools if that’s something you are shooting for. Even though some in-state colleges like ASU, NAU, and the University of Arizona don’t use ACTs against you, they can only benefit incredibly if you submit one, especially for scholarship opportunities.

Testing means a lot to some students, and little to nothing to others. But for the students who do care, like junior, Montana Poe, who says,”I’m not prepared for the ACT. I feel we have had practice tests in the past years, but they haven’t fully prepared me. The teachers weren’t teaching what was needed for the ACT.” This is a great example of how stressful these tests can be for students, especially showing the lack of information teachers have given students.

Some teachers feel the opposite when it comes to the preparation of students for the ACTs. Asking Ms. Watters, a junior English teacher, how she feels she has prepared students for the test, she says, “I think I have prepared my students well, the stuff we do in class does align with some things on the ACT, and for the past couple of days we have been doing worksheets, and other assignments to help them get more preparation.”

Testing can be pretty stressful; a lot of people can agree. Studying and keeping a goal for yourself on what grade you want to get on the test although, can help with obtaining a good grade on any test you are taking.