As high school students nearing college, you are probably very familiar with the SAT. You may be just beginning your arduous adventure or you may have already embarked on the journey of practice tests and hellish camps. Either way, College Board—the creator of the SATs—has stated that promising changes are on the horizon. One of the primary changes is that the test will no longer puzzle you with questions that digress high school curriculum. You will never see useless terms like “exhume,” “hoary,” and “brouhaha”! All the preposterous unanswerable mysteries will be tossed aside and the test will now measure the student’s ability in correspondence to high school curriculum. Sounds good, eh?
The new SAT, which will make its debut in March of 2016, will see a great number of changes from the former version. It will probably be the most drastic change the test has seen for a while. Rather than three sections, there will be two: math and evidence-based reading and writing, each scored from 200 to 800. (The essay section is now optional.) And there is more good news. There will no longer be a penalty for guessing. Even more, after numerous complaints about the limited time of the test, the time limit has been extended to three hours or three hours and fifty minutes if you write the optional essay. The scoring system is going back to the 1600 points system instead of 2400 points: 800 for math and 800 on evidence-based reading. Both the math and evidence-based reading test will be heavily based on the Common Core, stressing content applicable to college and careers. The math section will relate to real-life situations despite the fact that there will still be algebraic equations and some trigonometry (geometry is fading from the main picture). This also means the questions will be wordier with more reading to do. The optional essay will now involve reading a passage and drafting an essay on “how the author builds an argument to persuade an audience.”
There are ambivalent attitudes toward the change. Although some say that the questions are more relevant, the experts claim that poor readers will face struggles not reflecting the student’s performance accurately. Ned Johnson, the founder of PrepMatters, also has mentioned that students in schools that perform poorly will also face struggles. Nevertheless, that should not be a problem for SAS students, right?
So, how should you prepare for the new SAT?
First and foremost, read an array of genres as there will be a bulk of reading to do for the three hours and fifty minutes (with essay). In spite of the fact that reading may not be as interesting as your friend’s Instagram, it is important to be a habitual reader. You must be able to comprehend lengthy texts swiftly to pass the grade. The writing section will also require students to have read a range of texts varying from history to science as that essay will include a lengthy passage. Finally, the math section will have many more word problems. You know those problems, “The recommended daily calcium intake for a 20-year-old is 1,000 milligrams (mg). One cup of milk contains 299 mg....”
Second, for math, you will need to cover a much more diverse range of topics. For algebra, prepare for linear equations and inequalities, as well as systems of equations with two variables. Questions on statistics will also be covered, a course rarely covered in high school. Some tests will prohibit the usage of calculators, so you may want to begin your life without the handy-dandy calculator.
Third, many questions on the test, like reading and writing, will be evidence based. Therefore, do practice picking out quotes to support the argument you make.
Ultimately, the good news is that many tutors insist that the test is easier. Creators of the test are making sure that the new SAT is still fully comparable to the ACT. Moreover, Khan Academy, affiliated with College Board, and free SAT prep is just a click away.
Many are evidently nervous, but do not fret. The new SAT seems like an upward trend to a more practical and reasonable test. The creators have responded to criticism and suited the test to the students’ desires. Take your calendar out and mark the date: March 5!
Stanley Park