The junior class waited in the gymnasium, seats assigned alphabetically in long rows and columns as ceiling fans circulated the stuffy air.

On March 27, Pembroke Academy administered the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) to the entire junior class.

The SAT’s became the New Hampshire state assessment, replacing the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) test in the 2015.

After five and a half hours of testing, many students were exhausted by the test taking experience.

“I thought that we should’ve gotten longer breaks in between testing,” junior Sydney Makris said. “And more of them.”

The SAT consists of three sections: language, math and an essay students are asked to write in 50 minutes.

“They should cut out the essay completely,” junior Shankaya Rice said. “It was just so tiring.”

The purpose of the SAT’s is to measure high school students readiness for college and provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants.

However, many colleges in New Hampshire alone don’t require applicants to submit their test scores. Southern New Hampshire University, New England College, Plymouth State University and Colby Sawyer College are “test optional” institutions.