More than a few stomachs are likely feeling a little nervous this morning.

For second- through 12th-graders in the Natchez public schools the test they’ve heard about all year is upon them.

Teachers will begin handing out Mississippi Curriculum Test booklets shortly after 8 a.m. today. Students will test until just before lunch.

Testing will continue Wednesday and Thursday.

Students are tested in reading, math and language arts.

Their scores will go on their permanent records and will determine how their school and district is graded. Students in the third- and seventh-grades must pass MCT benchmarks to move on to the next grade.

Scores come back during the summer and school rankings come out in the fall.

Morgantown Elementary used the final hour of Monday to unwind with a pep rally before the big day.

“Tomorrow you shape your future,” Principal Fred Marsalis told students. “You have been given all the things that you need.

“We’ll have a really healthy breakfast for you tomorrow to make sure your mind is fed. When you get off that bus in the morning I want your mind on one thing — I am going to pass the test.”

Students also performed several skits at the pep rally, sharing test-taking tips.

But Ke’Anti Murphy, 11, said she wasn’t too worried about needing the tips.

“It’s easy,” she said. “Because we’ve studied all year for this test.”