It is that time of year again. As we proceed through the fourth quarter of the 2023-2024 school year, many are about to have PSSA tests and Keystone tests which can be a stressful thing for all students. PSSAs are April 22- 30, and Keystones are May 1- 24.

The Keystone tests have a very big significance for high schoolers, as passing all of them can be one of the paths to graduating. Generally there are three that students take: English, Algebra, and Biology. Personally, this reporter took two Keystones last year, and have to take my Biology one this year. Based on my class, this reporter has noticed that they have been reviewing more topics that we covered in the beginning of the year. Also, my class got to take a Keystone prep test, which gave us questions on the same app/assessment system that we’d be taking the actual Keystone on. This has been a trend for other classes in Corry High-Middle School. Many teachers are trying their best to work on subjects that students are or were struggling with.

Preparations should be expected to continue and even become more relevant in the coming weeks. Below are three ways that students can potentially prepare  for the coming tests:

• Review old study guides: This is kind of self explanatory; but if you happen to save your old study guides, your going to want to look through them, because they may have valuable information that you’ll need to remember on your tests.
• Ask your  teacher questions: This is also self explanatory. If there’s something you don’t understand, see if your teacher will review the topic with you. If you need, ask about available tutoring sessions before or after school.
• Remain calm: Calmness will help you focus: not just when studying, but also on your test. You are highly more likely to remember old topics when you are calm, rather than stressed out.

Also, it is important to remember that everybody has a class that they struggle with, and to not beat yourself up too much if you don’t do the best on the test. Obviously you’ll want to try your very best and study if you can. But, stuff happens… Anyway, good luck on those tests.