REVAMP: The College Board made many changes to the SAT which will become effective during March 2016.
By Ashley Gore, Editor
Just about every college-bound student will be forced to eventually face what many consider the most daunting aspect of the application process: the standardized admissions test. While there are two widely known and accepted options for students — the SAT and the ACT — this article will focus on recent changes made to the SAT by the College Board. (Spoiler alert: there may be more than you think.)
At the core of all the changes made by the College Board is a shift in the overall content of the test. The current SAT emphasizes “vocabulary, often in limited contexts.” However, the College Board claims that this will now change to a “greater emphasis on the meaning of words in extended contexts and on how word choice shapes meaning, tone and impact.” Additionally, the College Board made the bold claim that the 2016 SAT will “focus on the knowledge, skills and understandings that research has identified as most important for college and career readiness and success.” The changes made to the SAT reflect this lofty goal.
The Sections
One major difference between the current SAT and the 2016 SAT is the section breakdown of the test. The current SAT features the components we’ve come to know and love: Critical Reading, Writing, Mathematics and a mandatory essay. This differs from the 2016 SAT, which includes Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, Math and an optional essay.
The Essay
Perhaps the most noticeable difference between the current SAT and the 2016 version is the shift to an optional essay, similar to the ACT. Instead of a mandatory essay written at the beginning of a test sitting in 25 minutes, students will have 50 minutes at the end of the test to write their essay.
The essay content has changed as well. Rather than writing an argumentative essay in which they take a position on an issue, students will write an analysis of a provided text. According to the College Board, this will test reading, writing and analysis skills. Advanced Placement (AP) Language and Composition (Lang) students will note that this is very similar to the rhetorical analysis essay required on the AP Lang test.
The new essay will be scored from 2-8 in three dimensions: Reading, Analysis and Writing. Students will report essay scores separately from their component scores.
But now that the essay is optional, which colleges will require it as a part of a prospective student’s application? The simple answer is that the answer isn’t simple. The entire University of California (UC) system will require it, but only some California State Universities will make it mandatory. Things get even less consistent when considering private colleges. The official list has its home at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register/college-essay-policies.
The Scores
The scoring of the 2016 SAT will revert back to the test’s original scale of 400-1600. Additionally, students will not lose points for incorrect answers. This seems to be a trend for the College Board’s tests — the AP test also changed its penalty policy just several years ago.
One entirely new scoring feature is the “sub-score.” These scores will be reported on a scale of 1-15. Some of them include “Reading and Writing and Language: Command of Evidence and Words in Context,” “Writing and Language: Expression of Ideas and Standard English Conventions” and “Math: Heart of Algebra.” According to the College Board, the sub-scores will provide “added insight for students, parents, admissions officer, educators and counselors.”
New Test Preparation
The College Board updated more than its test — it also updated its offerings for test preparation. The new, free mobile application, “Daily Practice for the New SAT,” includes over 4,000 practice questions and video lessons supplied by a strategic partnership with test-prep favorite Khan Academy. Additionally, College Board will offer numerous free, downloadable practice tests. To grade these practice tests, students need only download the app, which includes a feature that grades paper tests on the spot.
The first administration of the revamped SAT will occur in March. Although it’s too late for graduating seniors to try their hand at this 2.0 version, current sophomores and juniors looking to prepare can do so at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice.