Many of us students have heard that the dreaded AzMERIT test is coming to us as soon as the first week after spring break. To be exact, the date to look forward to is Mar. 29.

It makes sense that students are distressed by the testing schedule. Many are going on wild spring break vacations, returning drowsy and overwhelmed. Before gathering friends around to protest and trying  to retrieve fake “opt-out” slips, think about it.

This may sound like a nightmare at first, however, maybe it is not so bad.

Instead of the testing interfering with our stress levels in the middle or towards the end of the quarter (when finals come to haunt students), we will only have to cope with this stress at the beginning of 4th quarter, when students are not bombarded with as much homework and studying.

Plus, keep in mind that when AzMERIT testing comes around, it results in less class time and more time after school to spend NOT doing homework…a rare occasion that we all secretly ache for.

You may now have time to spend with friends and family, visit your favorite coffee shop, binge watch your favorite show, or even catch up on sleep.

Towards the middle and end of the quarter, more and more juniors suffer from the stress and weight of the ACT, SAT, and even AP tests. The AzMERIT should not add to a junior’s long list of stresses during the same exact time.

Space between testing periods ensures that students do not become overwhelmed, allowing them to perform better on standardized tests.

To put the circumstances in a more positive perspective, at least we are “getting it over with.”

There is not necessarily a good time to face the AzMERIT. So why not just take the test as soon as we can?

Avoidance and procrastination can get us absolutely nowhere. Students have made it through testing times for years, and must not stop now. Challenging times can only benefit students, making them stronger and more ambitious.

Like the divine Wiz Khalifa once said, “work hard play hard.” This inspirational, iconic, and hardly life-changing quote can apply to this situation. Immediately after transferring all of our effort into the test, we can leave school, free from judgement and standardized test anxiety.

For the rest of the year, we will neither think about it nor talk about it. The AzMERIT is absolutely over when your final bubble is filled and the proctor releases you. Not until next year will we have to endure the pain and struggles of the test. But in the meantime, we should appreciate the fact that it is one dreaded event checked off of our never ending to-do lists.

As my 6 a.m. alarm goes off on March 29, the first thing I hoped to be thinking about was an austere hot mocha and a blueberry muffin. Still recovering from a two and a half week break, school would be slowly crawling back into my mind, yet still distant enough for me to ease into the fourth quarter smoothly.

That is until I learned the AzMerit begins the 29th for 9th, 10th, and 11th graders.

Instead of living out the perfect morning I had once dreamed up, I will be forced to prep for the test. While eating a healthy breakfast and punctuality is common for finals days, it is far from desirable in the first week back from spring break.

While some may praise for a lack of homework, they are sadly mistaken. Fourth quarter ‘tis the season of AP tests, AIMS science, and ACT/SATs for many upperclassmen. Teachers will be focused on preparing us for those upcoming challenges rather than letting us off easy for the week. Many of us still receive homework and projects the week before finals, so it is doubtful that this week will be treated any different.

Yet instead of my mocha, I’ll be focused on math. Instead of my pastry, I’ll be focused on performance. There are 180 school days in a year; if we have time to relax and ease back into the school environment after brief, periodic intermissions, we will perform much better. After all, our progress is observed through this test, so we should be fit to do well.

Setting back the date of the testing would be beneficial to all students because it gives more time to put into studying for the test, despite busy schedules. Those involved in sports and music are also at a disadvantage  trying to fit studying into their demanding practice schedules.

Rapper Wiz Khalifa once stated, “whatever I do, I do it because I want to do it and because it’s completely, 100% me.” When we are required to take the AzMerit the first week back, we do it unwillingly. While of course we will never completely want to take the test, when we take it this early we will not be able to give our full, 100% effort.

The school’s reputation is relying on these test scores for credibility. The results are a factor in our school’s A+ rating, so the timing of the test is not to its favor. If we do poorly, the talk of AzMerit will be far from “out of the way.”

So as I drive past my local coffee shop on March 29th, I will think of what could have been. I will trade coffee for sharpened no. 2 pencils, I will grab a book to read after completion, and I will drive straight ahead to school to take the AzMerit, hoping the best for all students.