In the 2022-23 school year, high school students prepare to take Keystones in May. Most students will take their Keystones freshman and sophomore years of high school, where retakes go up to junior year. Teachers will help prepare students on what will be on the exam about a month prior, but extra studying will help students pass with ease. Many students who decide to not study beforehand will have a lower chance of passing the Keystones, therefore having to keep retaking them each year. Passing all three Keystones is the easiest pathway to graduate high school, where if one keeps failing, another pathway will be used. 

     Hailey Quinn, HAHS sophomore passed both her biology and algebra I Keystones on the first try. She says, “A couple weeks before the Keystones, I would make sure to look over study guides and refresh my memory of the whole year,” proving that this made Hailey better prepared for what was going to be on the exam. 

     Erica Gerner, HAHS sophomore, says “Studying for the Keystones makes it a lot easier to pass, since students would have full knowledge of the whole year,” showing that briefing over the past school year could help students feel confident about passing the Keystone exam. 

     Overall, some students choose not to study before the exam, which will lessen their percent of passing the Keystones. While the ones who study have a higher chance of passing the exam, along with excelling in their test scores. Even if students fail at the first attempt, they can take up to three tries on passing the exam. That allows for students to better prepare for the second time around, and good luck to all HAHS students taking their Keystones this year!