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Beginning in March, teens with
college dreams will tackle a whole new SAT. The new exam will have substantial
changes in the math and verbal sections - and for the first time will include a
writing component.
The new exam will debut on
March 12, 2005. According to the College Board, which produces the SAT and
test-prep materials, the new SAT will reflect the higher level learning expected
in most high schools today.
The SAT (short for
Scholastic Aptitude Test) is widely believed to be a good indicator of how well
students will do with college-level learning. For this reason, most four-year
colleges and universities - including those in the SUNY system - require
applicants to take and report their scores on the SATs.
What the new SAT will
include
The new test has three
sections: math, critical reading (formerly the verbal section) and a new writing
section. Here is a look at each section:
MATH: The new math
section will have fewer "quantitative comparisons" (problems where
students compare equations in "column A" and "column B" and
decide which is larger) and more higher-level math (Algebra II). Students will
be given more time to complete this section.
CRITICAL READING: In
this portion of the new SAT, students will read brief passages (100 to 200
words) and answer multiple-choice questions about them. Gone from this section
are analogies - test questions that ask students to figure out the relationships
between phrases or terms, such as "bird is to nest" as "beaver is
to dam."
WRITING: The new SAT
essay question is designed to show how well students use writing to express
their thoughts and support their ideas about a topic in a limited amount of
time. The writing section will also include multiple-choice questions on
improving sentences and paragraphs and identifying grammar errors.
SCORING: Each of the
three sections will now be worth 800 points. The maximum a student can score is
2,400 (vs. 1,600 on the current test.)
PRICE: The cost of
taking the new SAT will be $41.50 - an increase of $10 to $12 over what is
charged for the current exam.
Should every teen take the
SAT?
Any teen who plans to apply to
a four-year college should take the SAT tests, as well as the PSAT/NMSQT.
Though many community colleges
and vocational programs do not require the SAT, teens heading to two-year
schools should consider taking the exam. Many of these students end up
transferring to four-year schools. Moreover, SAT scores may be high enough to
put students in line for a scholarship or acceptance at a school they thought
was out of their reach.
Students in the class of 2006,
this year's juniors, will generally be the first group of teens to take the new
SAT.
Seniors graduating this June
who are taking the SAT for the first time, or who plan to retake the test to try
to improve their scores, should check with the colleges where they are applying
before deciding which version of the test to take. Though colleges may take
scores from either test, some may prefer to see results from the new SAT since
it includes the writing assessment. Either way, it's important to know that the
current version of the SAT will be administered for the last time on January 22,
2005.
For more information or to
register for an SAT exam date, visit the College Board Web site at
www.collegeboard.com.
Prepping for the new test
Here are some suggestions that
can help teens do their best with the new version of the SAT:
Read. Much of the SAT
involves reading. For this reason, teens who are avid readers (of both fiction
and non-fiction) will do better with the exam.
Write. New York students
from kindergarten through high school have lots of opportunity to hone their
writing skills as they practice for state exams. Teens will do better on the
writing section of the SAT if they are able to clearly state and support an
opinion with real-life examples and can use good grammar and punctuation.
Take higher-level math
classes. The new SAT will include questions from Algebra II. For this
reason, students who challenge themselves and tackle higher-level math in high
school (courses leading beyond the basic "Math A" Regents graduation
requirement) are likely to do better with this section of the test.
Practice. Taking the
time to become familiar with the format of the test will help ease test anxiety.
It can also show teens which skills they may need to work on. There are many
SAT-prep classes, online tutorials and workbooks to help teens prepare for the
SATs. Since all three sections of the test are timed, taking the practice exams
under timed conditions can also help teens get a feel for how quickly they need
to work through a section in order to finish the bulk of the questions.
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