by Leanza Isip
The College Board, administrators of the Scholastic Aptitude Test more commonly known as the SAT, has revised the format of the college admission exam. The changes will be effective as of March 5th, 2016.
In the Language Arts section, the current time frame of 25 minutes for 18 questions will more than double to an approximate 65 minutes for a range of 50-55 questions.
Not only is time affected, but graphs are now included and used to translate the reading into data. Students will have to refer to these graphs as the section progresses, and they will have to analyze the data in order to answer test questions.
Mr. Switek, Woodbridge High School’s SAT Language Arts Prep teacher, said, “Mainly, test takers will notice that the language has shifted from archaic diction to that of something more realistic and recognizable by students.”
As for changes within the writing section, Mr. Switek said, “One article will only be used throughout, however, this will be cut up into sections and will have periodic breaks for students to answer questions about the passages prior, which to me, is a more staccato format.”
New essay requirements will be in effect, as well. Specifically, students will have to write a rhetorical analysis essay that talks about the author’s writing style and analyzes what effects the writing style has on the piece itself.
“Students will have to identify stylistic strategies, so this new essay, to me, is more difficult,” said Mr. Switek.
Within the Mathematics section, major changes include prohibited use of a calculator in some sections. Similar to the Language Arts section, time is affected as the format has changed from three to four shorter sections, to two longer sections.
Mr. Bunch, Woodbridge’s SAT Math Prep teacher said, “As a result, the element of time is more of a factor.”
Questions no longer appear in relative order of difficulty, so students do not have the option of answering questions at the beginning before moving on to more difficult questions. Mr. Bunch said some open ended questions are “presented in pairs,” so there is a greater emphasis on reading and problem solving.
As for subject matter, the current SAT only requires students to have a basic understanding of Algebra 1. Mr. Bunch cautioned that the new SAT could now include specific questions that require an understanding of Math up to Precalculus.
Lastly, incorrect answers will no longer affect a student’s score; the new SAT will not take off an additional 1/4 point for incorrect answers.
Students taking the new format should be ready for what the new SAT has in store. To that end, Woodbridge High School’s SAT prep classes will cover the new format, ensuring test takers will be prepared for both Language Arts and Math.
