The city announced Monday it will pay for every 11th grader to take the SAT, a plan NY1 first disclosed last spring. NY1 education reporter Lindsey Christ filed the following report.

It is a rite of passage for many teenagers; wake up early on a Saturday, travel to an often-unfamiliar high school and pay $55 to take the nearly four-hour SAT. However, a large percentage of students do not take the high-stakes exam, which is used in college admissions.

"A lot of kids will say, 'Oh, why am I going to bother?' not realizing they're affecting the rest of their future, in many cases," Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña said.

Therefore, the city has decided to pay for the test - and offer it during the school day to 11th graders, starting in 2017. Statistics show students whose parents did not attend college are less likely to take the test, reducing the chance that they will go to college. Having everyone take the SAT is part of Mayor de Blasio's agenda to attack inequality.   

"Making it not simple as possible but as convenient as possible, so that no one gets left out of the process," Fariña said.

As of now, just 56 percent of 11th graders take the SAT. Having everyone take it will cost the city $1.8 million a year.

"I would hate to call it an extra cost - I think this is an investment that we have decided to make in our students going forward," Deputy Schools Chancellor Phil Weinberg said.

Six states and Washington D.C. already offer the SAT free during the school day. Yet some anti-testing advocates say the city should not devote additional class time to standardized testing nor direct more public funds toward testing companies, in the case of the SAT, the College Board.

However, the Chancellor says taking this test will only help kids prepare for higher education.

"No parent would say, 'I don't want the kids to take a test to get into college.' It's a given, so having a universal one that the whole city takes at one time is just common sense," the Chancellor said.

In 2006, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg began using city funds to offer the PSAT for free during the school day. Now, officials say there will be a single school day dedicated to the tests, with all 10th graders taking the PSAT and all 11th graders taking the SAT.