As students gear up for spring break, excitement is building around the school. Some will go on a tropical vacation, while others may stay home and relax. No matter what they plan to do, the break is generally considered to be a time for students to enjoy themselves and rest.

However, for juniors, this spring break may not be the most restful one. They’ll most likely spend some of the time preparing for the SAT, which will be administered just two days after returning back to school.

The SAT is a globally-recognized collegiate admissions test that every junior student in Michigan is required to take. The test features writing, math, and reading sections.

No matter how well a student prepares, the SAT can make anyone nervous.

“It feels very nerve-wracking knowing how big of a test it is,” junior Emily Lorkowski said, “and the importance of it.”

However, students didn’t have to worry about studying on their own. In early March, review sessions for the math section of the test were held during students’ math classes.

“We wanted to prepare all juniors,” math teacher Tammy Hilliard said, “not just juniors that would stay after school.”

English classes have also been preparing for the exam, with some teachers, like AP English teacher Kelly Bronski, opting to make practice part of daily curriculum.

Students seem to agree that any practice that they can do helps.

“The prep at school is helping,” junior Sarah Richardson explained. “I like all the practice we do in Mrs. Bronski’s class, and the math prep gave me ideas about what I need to work on the most.”

Hilliard added that the reviewing went well, but the future of in-school preparation “depends on what the kids say after they take the SAT.”

On April 11, whether they lounged on the beach with a copy of the Princeton Review’s “Cracking the SAT” or sat at their desks looking at old tests and assignments, students will be taking the biggest test of their school careers – ready or not.