Once again Columbia Falls Junior High students took the Scholastic Aptitude Test this spring, a test that high school juniors and seniors across the county take for college entry. This year nine eighth-graders from Paula Koch’s advanced studies class decided to take the SAT Challenge hosted by the Montana Associate Gifted and Talented Education.

They all said that it helped prepare them.

“You’re not going to be as panicked when it comes junior year,” Sam Lovering said. One of their classmates learned a valuable lesson when they didn’t bring their ID and couldn’t take the test.

The students did very well for their age, scoring on par or better than the average junior and senior.

Two junior high students in the state exceeded scores of 600 on writing. The average is 480. One of those students, one was from Columbia Falls, Kathleen Bellon. She received a $400 scholarship to help pursue her academic interests.

The SAT Challenge gives scholarships for the top two scores in writing, math, reading and composite.

Delaney Conger noticed the high schoolers were stressed out and pacing, but most of the eighth graders said they weren’t nervous because the scores don’t matter. They are removed from their record so they have a clean slate when taking the test again in high school.

But, a few said they weren’t completely at ease because it’s still a big test.

“We didn’t have all the knowledge to be able to take the test, so it was intimidating,” Kaliann Douglas said. They also said the breaks were too short, only five minutes.