It’s time to sharpen your #2 pencils and get ready to be in one room for a few hours. It’s standardized testing season. While some may groan about having to take the ASVAB and the SAT, many students should care about these tests and what they mean for their choices after high school.

The ASVAB
The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test, or ASVAB for short, is the test that the United States Military uses to determine potential success. “The ASVAB test is actually a basic skills test that can help with career placement. The military uses this test for placement, but it could help students with job ideas in or out of the military,“ said FCPS Secondary Testing Coordinator Angie Blevins.

The test is broken down into 10 sub-tests. “There are 10 sections that are tested on the ASVAB. These sections include General Science, Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, Mathematics Knowledge, Electronics Information, Auto and Shop Information, Mechanical Comprehension, and Assembling Objects,” said Blevins. If you are going into one of the six branches of the United States Military (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Space Force), you are required to take the ASVAB.

There are multiple routes to prepare for the ASVAB. For one, you can take practice tests on websites such as the official ASVAB website, or this shorter one on the Army National Guard website. Another way to prepare is to study the subjects. You can use a wide range of tools to study, such as YouTube videos or books on the subjects. Prep books can be found at the Fluvanna County Library while YouTube channels Mometrix Test Preparation and ASVAB Advantage (and many others) have in-depth analysis of practice questions, practice tests, and test-taking strategies to help you ace the test.

If you are going into the military, the ASVAB gives you a good idea of where you could possibly land for a career in the armed forces. It also shows your strengths and weaknesses with these skills. So if you struggle with mechanical comprehension, then you probably should stay away from the mechanical jobs in the military, such as being a mechanic or engineer. If you excel in electronics information, then you should probably look into jobs such as a power distribution specialist or an electrician.

The SAT
Originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the SAT is one of the first tests students think about when preparing for college. The SAT has four sections: reading, writing and language, and two math sections. While that’s always been the case, according to USA Today, a few changes are being implemented for the 2024 test. “A key change is that the new test is what the College Board describes as ‘adaptive’ in nature. Both the math and reading sections will be divided into two parts. A student’s performance in the first part of each section will determine the difficulty level of the second part that shows up on their screen.”

If you have taken the PSAT, the SAT has the same basic sections. However, starting in March of 2024, the SAT is moving from paper and pencil to a digital format. The PSAT has also become an adaptive test, and students are generally encouraged to take it as a preparatory step. for taking the SAT.

There are a multitude of reasons to take the SAT. “The SAT test is important for students in a few possible ways. They may need SAT scores for their application to college, scholarship opportunities, or to help them with placement in PVCC classes,” said Blevins.

Certain colleges offer scholarships depending on your SAT score. Some of these colleges include Liberty University, The Ohio State University, the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa and Huntsville campuses), and the University of Kentucky. Not only that, but some universities are also making SATs required again. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, many colleges decided to make the SAT optional due to lockdowns and other pandemic-related difficulties. However, some colleges still require students to take the SAT, including many Ivy League colleges and other prestigious universities. Colleges that require SAT scores include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, better known as MIT, Georgetown University, the University of Florida, and the University of Georgia.

Yale recently said that they would join fellow Ivy League school Dartmouth College in requiring the SAT to help boost students’ admittance. According to CNN, the school said in February that it “would also allow applicants to provide scores from advanced placement or international baccalaureate instead of the tests.” CNN noted that the change followed Dartmouth College, “the first Ivy League school to bring back the requirement on Feb. 5, although it is not offering AP (Advanced Placement) or IB (International Baccalaureate) scores as an alternative.”

Preparing for the SAT is similar to preparing for the ASVAB. You can either take a practice test or study the subjects. However, there are more ways to prepare compared to the ASVAB. For one, this is a timed test, so every second counts. Some sites suggest that you should increase your reading speed, giving you as much time as possible to think through difficult questions. Another way to prep is to know the material, which mistakes you could make, and how to limit those mistakes, all of which can be addressed by taking practice steps.

Similar to the ASVAB, the county library and school library have SAT prep books available. There are also a multitude of SAT prep YouTube channels that detail the best strategies to do well on the test. Of course, there is no substitute for taking the test multiple times, so being abe to take it for free is a popular option.

“If juniors or seniors take the test at FCHS during the March 20, 21, 2024 SAT School Day session, the test is paid for by our school board, so it is free to students,” said Blevins. She noted that there is no guarantee that FCHS will continue to offer the free SAT in the future.

Students who have not yet emailed Blevins to sign up for the SAT may be able to still take the test if they contact Blevins as soon as possible. Students interested in taking the March 8 ASVAB should also contact Blevins at [email protected].