High school students will trade in sleeping late for bubble sheets and No. 2 pencils Saturday morning as the SAT is given nationwide.
Some students have been preparing all school year for the test taking classes buying study books and hiring tutors.
Tutoring Director for the Princeton Review of the Triangle and Triad Alison Heckel" said the majority of this preparation is the pressure for students to get into their college of choice.
""Some students are very motivated to get into great schools" so they put in the extra effort to do all of the work it takes to get that score Heckel said.
College is extremely competitive. Even after students get a 4.0 grade point average" play three sports and two instruments and start clubs they need great SAT scores to get into the really selective schools.""
The most recent class to enter UNC had an average math and verbal SAT score of 1302.
With the pressure of getting into college increasing" Laurie Calder-Green an SAT prep teacher at Cedar Ridge High School" said taking prep classes can help relieve the anxiety and stress students often encounter when the test draws near.
""I think anxiety is a tremendously big obstacle for them"" Calder-Green said. When students feel like they know the test cold and they know what's coming and have practiced reasoning then their scores improve dramatically.""
While Cedar Ridge High School offers SAT prep classes as part of their regular curriculum"" high schools such as Chapel Hill did not receive enough interest from students to offer the class.
""Most students will do it through one of the big companies"" Linda Klemmer, guidance counselor at CHHS said. They go to Princeton Review"" Kaplan or smaller local companies.""
But SAT Prep courses similar to the ones offered from the Princeton Review cost thousands of dollars.
The high price could put students from lower-income families at a disadvantage when preparing for the test and applying to college.
""(The courses) will raise scores; we know that. If everyone had them" then we probably wouldn't see an effect" George Noblit, Joseph R. Neikirk Distinguished Professor of Sociology of Education, said.
So they do give those who can afford an advantage. They have time for them"" don't have to work a job and their parents have enough money.""
But Klemmer said CHHS offers programs like Advancement via Individual Determination" or AVID which offers SAT prep free of charge to disadvantaged students. She said most of the students in the program will be the first college-bound members of their family.
Calder-Green said the Orange County School district purchased the SAT online course" which is accessible to students for free.
""It's invaluable. It literally tells you the kinds of questions they're going to ask" Green said.
The SAT also offers fee waivers that are available to all students to apply for.
If we give kids fee waivers then when they apply to college we have fee waivers we can give for applications as well" Klemmer said.
Whether a student purchased test prep material or has used a free resource, said Debbie Kitts, Marketing Director for Princeton Review of the Triangle and Triad, the most important thing for a student to do is become familiar with the test.
There are ways that you can prep regardless of your class background. There's something for everyone to take advantage of"" Kitts said.
""The definite message that I think is being sent out to students today that prepping for the SAT is just to not walk into that test cold and have an idea of what test is about.""
Contact the city editor at citydesk@unc.edu
