The mandatory SAT for juniors will be administered on March 5. According to Principal Tim Phares, the digital SAT will be administered to juniors similarly to last year.

According to Scoir, the digital SAT is shorter in both time and number of questions compared to the paper SAT. It is 46 minutes shorter, 56 questions shorter and combines the Reading and Writing portions.

Junior Kevin Zhang is currently preparing for the digital SAT. Zhang said, “I like the digital format personally. I think answering questions digitally with the shorter paragraphs for each question (in the Reading and Writing section) is really helpful. But I do think, because it is shorter, you can’t miss as much, so I guess that is a downside.

Phares said proctors have become familiar with the digital SAT, especially after the digital PSAT was administered in the fall. Phares said, “From a proctor standpoint it’s really not any different. We’ve changed a few things because of the electronic piece, but to be honest with you it’s been pretty seamless.

Phares said the biggest concern for digital testing is devices and technology. School-issued Chromebooks must be turned on and charged regularly to perform system updates. Neglecting Chromebook upkeep may cause delays during testing.

To perform a trial on Chromebooks, the administration will run a stress test on Feb. 14 during SSRT. Juniors are required to participate.

Regarding IT on test day, Phares said, “Our district puts together a plan, and when we’re in the middle of the SAT school day, it’s all hands on deck. So we have more support here. We definitely want to be prepared.” Phares said IT specialists from different schools in the Carmel Clay School district are directed to this school to provide additional support.

Phares said the administration is working to maintain order and safety on the day of the SAT after the test is completed. Phares said, “First and foremost, transportation doesn’t change…we don’t change to run school buses at different times that day.”

Juniors are not supposed to leave school early, but many do. Phares said the district is working to address the issue for future school years.