On May 7, on a sunny spring day, a group of students gathered together at Korea International School to be evaluated—some were anxious to prove their readiness for college, while others were eager to prove their excellence in certain a subject area. It was the day of the SATs.

 

          The SATs are administered in selected areas by the College Board each year for submission to colleges during the application process. In preparation for this very important day, students have studied for weeks, months or even years. However, the atmosphere on the day of the test was quite relaxed and a vast majority of the students seemed real and willing to demonstrate their true capabilities. 

 

           Despite everyone’s best efforts to come prepared, there always are some students each year who forget to bring one of the three materials required to take the test: the test registration form, the student’s passport, and a calculator. This year, one student had to call his parents, who lives all the way in Seoul, to bring his passport to the testing center. The students who are ready and have brought all their materials are ready to take the SATs.

 

          SAT subject tests (a.k.a. SAT 2) and the SAT 1 are administered on the same day. This year, although nearly 100 students participated in the testing, only 17 students took the SAT 1 as it was the first time the new edition of the test was administered in South Korea. Some said that the new version was more challenging than the old one and that the critical reading sections were more difficult. Others said that the new version was easier since the sentence completion section—which was considered the “hardest” section because of the midrange of vocabulary needed — had been removed. 

 

          At 2:00 in the afternoon, both subject and normal SAT testing had been completed and students began to file out of the building, each with a different look on his or her face. For students who scores high on the test, the SATs would open up their path to top-tier colleges; and for students who could not do so, the test would still act as a stepping stone to great success.

 

          Even though students will not know their exact scores until June, one thing is for certain — the students that took the SATs on that fated day in May will continue to work hard for the success of their future. 

 

Junyong (Jake) Jung
Grade 10
Korea International School