Caption: Downloading the Bluebook App is essential for students taking the SAT weekend test now that the test has become digital. [Dr. Cristina Meier]
by Manuela Medeiros
Saturday, August 24 – The College Board SAT weekend test opened its first testing opportunity of the school year, and PACA (Pan American Christian Academy) was one of the locations in São Paulo for students to choose to take the test.
There were six students from PACA who registered for the test, as well as many students from other schools in São Paulo. The SAT, or Scholastic Aptitude Test, is an academic test that helps high school students to get into college in the U.S. and in some other countries, as well.
Here at PACA, the person to ask about this test is the SAT coordinator, Vanusa Abreu. She explained that there are specific steps to prepare the campus for a weekend SAT test.
First of all, they need to ensure that the Saturday chosen does not include other events happening at school. They close the campus so there is no additional noise or distractions in the area of testing.
The test normally starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends around 11:00 a.m. Previously, the test used to take four hours with additional time needed for processing paperwork. However, with the switch to digital testing, the SAT has been shortened to a three hour time frame and requires all students to bring school-issued chromebooks to use for the test.
Each student needs to download an app that provides the testing platform needed for the test. This platform is called BlueBook, and students install it on their computers before they come on the day of testing.
Chloe Harper is one of the six seniors from PACA who registered to take the test in August. Since this is the first year that the freshmen will have the opportunity to take a practice SAT (the PSAT), Harper has a message for freshman students and other students taking the SAT.
“The freshmen can expect a lot of Algebra when doing the math sections. Also be ready for some geometry questions,” said Harper. “For English, be prepared to read a lot of short paragraphs for the comprehension and grammar questions.”
For senior Jared Meier, the SAT test was useful to him in comparing himself to students on a global scale.
“I think it helped me to understand where I am at compared to others in English and Math because you get your score compared to other people’s scores around the world,” said Meier.
Regardless of how much you study, statistics show that students will do best when they get a good night’s sleep the day before the SAT. Chloe Harper highlighted the need for being rested on testing day.
“Make sure you get plenty of rest the night before,” said Harper. “Don’t try to study for hours the night before the test because it often doesn’t help.”
Fortunately, if a student is not happy with their SAT score, there are many opportunities to retake this test throughout the school year. The SAT schedule for 2024-2025 is listed outside of the secondary office at PACA, but can also be found at the College Board website (LINK HERE).
