Do High School Exams Matter?

Every academic activity that is aimed at evaluating students and seeing their performance always matters. Be it in elementary, middle or high school. You should not be overly worried about what your child did in elementary school or middle school as this might not really have an excessive impact on your child’s future.

For sure, high school exams and grade matter a lot as it is what determine your post High School future especially when you desire to go to college. When you are seeking admission into the university, the admission team will require you to submit some documents which your High School grade is one of them.

Many people do argue that your grades either in high school or college are not that important in life because it won’t determine your future, but it’s not generally true. Though high school grades will not be used to secure high paying jobs and college degrees will not determine how intelligent and successful one can be but they are like a stepping stone for success.

Having a good grade in high school will make it easier for you to get admitted into top colleges like the IVY league universities and a good degree will open the way for High paying jobs with big companies. So grades really matter as it provides you with bigger opportunities to succeed and this is not possible if you have it.

Does high school GPA really matter?

As a student in high school grades really matter. Though the grades you make in high school will not determine the type of person you are, it helps to present opportunities for you especially if you have in mind of going to college.

In High School, grades are not the only important thing you should look up to though it’s important. There are other prices that are presented to students that can place you in a better position after high School. Colleges often look at leadership skills, athletic skills, other extracurricular activities and grades when offering admission to high school students, so I will advise you to sit up and read your books and gain college desired skills and habits.

What year matters most in high school?

There are always some sort of permutations on when best to hit the ground running while at high School. But I won’t actually want to take any year in high school for granted. All year in high school really matters. You should always take them very seriously. What is very important is your GPA and this is a cumulative rating.

The grade point average (GPA) is the cumulation of your individual class grade in every year. To have a high GPA, you must have developed a high school grade all through the years, from the 9th grade to the 12th grade.

As I said earlier, every class you take will contribute to your GPA but some classes are rated more than others and this increases as you are moving from grade 9 to 12. Though I said that every year in high school matters, there is one that matters the most and hardest also. Let us see the most important class in high school especially if you are interested in going to college and reasons.

9th grade or Freshman year

The 9th grade is where many students make mistakes that might lead to them dropping out or losing focus. The age many students are in freshman year is always filled with emotions and body development which can be a distraction for some, especially those who don’t live with their parents, so care must be taken here.

Also the freshman year is important since the GPA starts counting here. Every class you take in your 9th grade stands the chance of improving your GPA. It is important you make high Grades here because the classes are less challenging to the ones you will have later in upper years. Making high grades with less demanding classes is a good strategy you must adopt.

10th grade or sophomore year

Course you will take in the 10th grade builds on the one you take earlier in the 9th grade so it will be little demanding than the formal. This is another year you need to build on to get a high GPA. The class you have in your 9th and 10th grade are seen to be very important since they can boost your GPA the most because you can A’s them easley and also there will be on your transcript for your college application since you will apply during the first semesters of the senior year.

Given the importance of these classes, it will be in your best interest to focus more during this time so as to improve on your past exams and acquire any other skills that come your way.

11th grade or junior year – Most important and hardest

The junior year in high school is Seen as the most important and hardest grade. There are some reasons this is so and it is good we take it seriously. As you go up the ladder of education in high school the harder and more challenging the classes will be and it is so in junior year.

During a student’s junior year, they’re usually taking a number of honor and AP courses, and this will progress or increase up to the senior year. The AP courses and honors you do in the junior year is very important to the college admission team since it is some of the prerequisites to most of the college courses. If you show a great length of commitment by having good grades in these challenging courses in junior year, the college admission team will like you to get admitted because you can fit into their college programs easily.

As the classes you have in junior year are becoming more advanced and demanding so it will be difficult to maintain good grades. To make it more acceptable, classes you have in 11th grade are weighed higher than the one in your freshman year. Advanced classes you are having in junior year are a great way to show colleges how ready you are for advanced learning, as well as to boost your GPA if you can do well in these classes.

Why is junior year the most important grade in high school?

We should not forget that every grade in high school is important since it all adds to your GPA which is what the Colleges will be looking at before approving your application but the junior year is more important. The very reason why the 11th grade must be taken seriously is because it is the last full year that its grades will be taken into consideration before admission will be given.

As we have seen earlier, this year is full of advanced classes which the college board needs to see and you performing very well will be an added advantage to you. You should never lose your guard in junior year because it will determine your college future.

The advanced classes and AP courses you will take in junior year in high school are very important to the universities. You should never allow anything to make you have poor grades in junior year. Colleges will like to see your best performance in high school and the junior year grades are where they will focus on to see this.

Your junior year will also be the year you can make up for your past mistakes. If you have been performing poorly academically in your 9th and 10th year, then you must sit up during your 11th year to gain high grades in all the classes so as to have a high GPA that is needed to get college admission.

12th grade or the senior year

The 12th grade is the last year in school and it is very busy for all students. The first semester in senior year is when students take most of the standardized tests and university applications. So it is a busy year for most students and you must also take it very seriously.

As it is important to understand that classroom grades and your overall GPA are important to college admissions officers, they are not the only documents that determine if your application can be approved. College admissions officers will also be looking out for your scores on AP exams, any end-of-class national or state-wide tests, SATs, and Subject SATs if you take them. The AP exam scores are your chance to prove to universities that you really are ready for college, and with adequate scores on these exams, you can even place out of some required core introductory college classes.

SATs (and ACTs) are a universal parameter used to compare students from different schools across the country, and you must work hard to get good grades that are required by the college you are applying to so you can get admitted. 

To help you perform well with the SAT, you can take the PSAT and this will help you improve and do well during the main exam. Most students do start very early to prepare for all the standardized tests and it will be easier for them, so do that.