The annual ritual of high school students preparing for and taking the SAT is a rite of passage that has become deeply ingrained in the American Education System. For many teenagers, the months leading up to the test are filled with anxiety, late-night study sessions, and a seemingly endless barrage of practice questions. The SAT, which stands for Scholastic Aptitude Test, has long been viewed as a gatekeeper to higher education, with colleges and universities using exam scores as a key factor in admissions decisions.

The year 2024 was a little different. This year the SAT is the start of it all being online, which caused many worries among students. Junior, Brianna Sierra, expressed, “I was pretty nervous but interested to see the new format. Though I do find comfort in the fact that this is new for everyone, it gives me a strange sense of community. Honestly, I’m most curious about how the virtual format will change over time and how colleges will accept them.”

Though the sense of community is comforting, there is a not-so-comforting part of taking the SAT online.

“However, I don’t like that so much of the advice and resources that have been built up over the years aren’t as applicable, that frightens me. I also in general prefer taking tests on paper when crossing things out and everything feels more physical, so I’m a bit nervous about how I’ll handle it,”  stated Sierra.

Junior, Hannah Glass, didn’t seem to be worried about taking the SAT online.

“I thought the SATs being online was good and that it might make things a bit easier,” she explained.

Sierra and Glass were interviewed again after taking the SAT. They were asked how they think they did and what they wish was different.

“It didn’t seem to take as long as on paper. I think I did good and feel pretty confident about my possible score. That being said, I don’t think there’s anything I wish to have been different,” claimed Glass.

Glass may not have had anything that she wished was different, but Sierra did.

“I think I did fine. English has always been my strong suit, but not being able to annotate on the math portion really screwed me up. Doing math online is something I’ve always found more annoying. I definitely would’ve appreciated being able to highlight, underline, leave notes, and more on the math portion as well,” she explained.

Although SATs are important, students are relieved the stress of the SATs is over, but now a whole new stress has begun, waiting for the results.