April showers, May brings flowers… and stress. KHS students are going through testing season now that standardized testing, APs, and the last days of SATs are passing by at full speed. Recently freshmen and juniors finished taking the NJSLA, freshmen taking 4 days of ELA and math, and juniors taking 4 days of science. Though the last standardized tests have passed, students are faced with AP and SAT tests shortly the following week.

Everybody knows that Junior year is the most difficult year for high school students, and now it’s proven correct by our graduating class of 2023. With the last-minute NJGPA tests earlier in march, questionable four day science testing last week and now the SAT on its way, our juniors have had so far a stressful spring welcoming. Teachers will even agree now that preparation for the soon to come advanced placement tests have been difficult due to shortened periods and burnt out alumnis. Having to maintain the balance of studying for these exams while still attending and achieving work from other classes has proven to be the bulk of junior dilemmas.

At the Kearnian, we interviewed some of our juniors (Daniela Guerra, Thomas Kamyszek, and Ronnie Navas) taking AP tests very soon on their opinions on the test stress epidemic spreading throughout the school.

Q: How did you feel about the four-day science testing, was it a top priority to study for, did you think it was needed…etc?

D.G: It was overwhelming because we had just come back from spring break…It’s a graduation requirement but then again I think math and english is most important.

T.K: The four-day science testing seemed a bit unnecessary, or at least unnecessarily drawn out… I didn’t worry too much however because no amount of studying is going to bring me up to speed in a class I haven’t taken, I had to hope for the best.

R.N: The testing felt pointless. I didn’t really study for it and most of the kids in the classroom I was put in just put random answers on it and submitted it within 20 minutes.

Q: What upcoming tests are you taking soon? 

D.G: In a week, I am going to take an APUSH and AP Lang exam.

T.K: Upcoming tests are the AP Lang and Comp Test, as well as the SAT

R.N: In about a week I’m going to be taking the AP Lang exam

Q: Thoughts on these tests being back to back? 

D.G: To be honest, I am very nervous for when these tests come back. I didn’t really prepare myself for apush… it’s a lot of information. But with confidence, I’m sure I will do just fine.

T.K:  The tests being back to back mean that there is less time to prepare, you were forced to choose your weakest subject and focus on it. However, the testing window being so short meant that the tests went by fairly quickly and it is good to finally get them over with.

R.N: The four day science testing made everything more stressful. Since it took away a lot of time in class to review for the AP exam I feel a lot less prepared to take it. I put the AP exam at a much higher priority than the science testing we’ve been doing so it feels frustrating to have my time to study reduced.

Q:Thoughts on the NJGPA tests done in March and the little preparation done when shortly announced? 

D.G: It was annoying when it was first announced. I’m sure that most kids didn’t really prepare themselves for it.

T.K:  I felt more confident going into the NJGPA tests in March even with the short notice. I chose to focus on studying for math as your reading and writing proficiency at that point is what it is, but it is easy to jog your memory with math and make some topics more fresh in your mind.

R.N: The NJGPA tests done in March felt really rushed and it made me very confused. They announced all of a sudden that we would need to take the NJGPA to graduate.. lot of the content were things we hadn’t learned yet…it was stressful because I had to figure out problems I had no idea how to do

Q: Opinions on testing season in general

D.G: Testing, in general, is quite nerve-wracking. [It] can be hard to balance. It’s important to pass them but it truly does not show a student’s academic [performance] and does not define them as who they really are.

T.K:  The testing season can be a bit overwhelming at times if you let it be, it is important to take things in steps. I found that I feel better if I don’t look at all that is ahead of me at once, instead breaking the season up into weeks, days, or even individual tests makes it less stressful. As for academic status, I feel that it is important to do your best on these tests and exams as colleges do look to make sure that your scores match with your grades and it can be a big deciding factor for them.

R.N:  I think that testing season is bound to be stressful, but the way it’s happening right now is increasing the stress. It’s unnecessary for us to be more stressed over these tests.

Hopefully, this testing season ends with a relaxing rest of the month and good luck to all our classmates!