Tests are something that many people dread. Get the right answer. Finish before the bell. Pass or fail. Most people feel obligated to watch the time and make sure they are setting up the pace to complete their summative in time. However, as important as time is in finishing an exam, many teachers still give tests on the only shortened day of the week, Wednesday. 

Students are not fans of the intentional act of making tests due in a shorter stretch of time. Except, it might not be a bad idea, and might even be helpful according to English teacher Kate Mennenoh.

“We choose a tighter time period because it is a way to prepare [students] for the SAT by putting the tests on a shorter day,” Mennenoh said. “Students need to become comfortable with the pressure of the timed environment, since this is what is expected of them in the larger real world context of the SAT.”

While it is useful for people to get practice for the SAT and better understand the time limits given, some teachers might not just do it for SAT preparations.

“I think some of these curriculums are very structured,” Psychology and history teacher Jay Teagle said. “For somebody like me, I teach an elective, and I have a class that is a required class. And I know for our required [classes] our time is based on how everyone in that group is doing. So if it falls on Wednesday, it falls on Wednesday. I really don’t have much of a choice.”

Many believe that it is unnecessary and harsh for teachers to even think about handing out a summative on a shortened schedule. It could be said that instead of teaching them how to prepare for the SAT, it is only teaching them how to rush.

“It stresses me out more and I just have less time to do it,” junior Emily Loch said. “It gives me more anxiety compared to a regular schedule.”

Nonetheless, no matter how our high school reacts, teachers in the district still believe that for some tests, Wednesdays are just better. Many also do not have a choice based on the timeline of their curriculum and fitting everything into a standard school year. Though some students arguably have better suggestions throughout the school, this is one thing that might never change.