The SAT is changing. What do you need to know?
The SAT was scored out of 1600, changed to 2400, back to 1600 and now…No more filling in bubbles or waiting for proctors to collect the exam sheets: The SAT is going digital! (This will not impact the ACT.)
Don’t stress just yet. International students are going to be the first recipients of this change starting this year, but it won’t impact the United States until 2024. The SAT is a multiple-choice exam aimed at predicting "college readiness" among high school students. You are more than just your SAT score, but this exam does signify if you are ready for college-level work. Many universities went test-optional during the course of the pandemic, but schools have the option of reevaluating this decision on a yearly basis. Therefore, it is imperative that your child is adequately prepared to test.
What are these SAT changes? Aside from a new digital format, other adjustments to the SAT include a shortened test, allowance of graphing calculators throughout the math portion and faster results. The SAT will remain on a 1,600-point scale and continue to test skills related to the three subject areas of reading, writing and math.
The new digital test will be adaptive, which changes the level of question difficulty for subsequent questions based on a student's performance. Do we like this? How will this impact your children? As a college counselor, I have mixed feelings about this. Anxiety always plays a role in performance on standardized testing. If your child walks in nervous, then they might answer the first question wrong, which in turn, would immediately drive their score down.
The length of the exam will be reduced from three hours to two. Questions are also going to be more concise. For instance, lengthy reading passages are set to be replaced with shorter versions. Only one question, rather than multiple, will be tied to each reading.
Good news? A graphing calculator will be allowed! The current SAT divides the math section into two parts: a non calculator and a calculator portion. As part of the recent changes, a calculator is now allowed for the entire math segment.
Test results will also be available within a matter of days! No more anxiously waiting weeks for that email!
Due to the many months spent studying online during the height of the pandemic, many students are more comfortable taking tests digitally. The College Board is still figuring out how to accommodate students with learning differences.
The biggest question is whether your child should take the SAT/ACT with the implementation of test-optional. The answer is a resounding YES. If you take the SAT or ACT and are not pleased with your scores, then exercise your test-optional right to not submit them. If they are valuable to you and they could be a differentiator in your college application, then submit them. If you never take the test, you'll never be able to make that choice as you're applying to college.
Are you happy about these SAT changes?
