Nearly a year after the College Board’s announcement that the SAT would be undergoing a significant redesign, College Board President David Coleman recently revealed more information about what we can expect to see on the new SAT®. Here are the major changes:
The first new SAT will be administered in spring 2016.
The redesigned exam will be divided into three sections:
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, Math, and the Essay. The Essay section is optional, though many selective colleges are likely to make it an admissions requirement.
The Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section will abandon sentence completions and “rare” vocabulary definitions, instead asking students to interpret the meaning of words based on the context of the passage in which they appear. Students will study source documents from a broad range of disciplines, and on some questions, will be asked to select the quotation from the text that supports the answer they have chosen. Every exam will include a passage from one of the nation’s “founding documents,” (e.g., the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution) or from one of the important discussions of such texts (e.g. Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream speech”).
The Math section will require students to analyze data, charts, and graphs in order to solve problems grounded in real-world contexts. It will cover three major areas: linear equations; complex equations or functions; and ratios, percentages and proportional reasoning.
The Essay section will appear at the end of the test rather than the beginning. In it, students will read a passage and explain how the author builds an argument, supporting their claims with evidence from the passage. The essay prompt will be shared in advance and remain consistent; only the passage itself will change from test to test. Students will have 50 minutes to complete the essay.
The SAT will be scored on a 1600-point scale: 800 points for the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section and 800 points for the Math section. Essay scores will be reported separately.
Points will no longer be deducted for incorrect answers.
The SAT will be offered in print and, at selected locations, on computer.
You can find more details about the new version of the test at the College Board website. The College Board is planning to release more information about the new test, including example questions and text passages, on April 16, 2014. We’re keeping an eye on all developments and will share new information with you as it becomes available.
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