The New SAT

Come March 2016 and the SAT will witness its biggest change in 30 years! Though the New SAT will debut on March 5, 2016, it will be administered for the first time on May 7, 2016.

The SAT is undergoing a revision in terms of structure and content. This will impact school students in the class of 2017 and beyond.

WHY the change? Here’s the College Board’s version!

The New SAT:

• Will be closely aligned to challenging classroom work
• Wll focus on a few things that are crucial for college and career readiness
• Will not be just a test but also an instructional experience that will benefit students' academic and professional lives.

WHAT are the changes? A sneak peek!

• Vocabulary in Context (VIC) – focus on meanings of words in context instead of mere meanings
• Command of Evidence – find evidence in support of answers
• Essay will be optional – choose this option with CARE*
• Essay analyzing a source – evaluate use of evidence and rhetoric by the author
• Math that Matters Most  --  foundational math skills are more important
• Math with and without calculator – only one of the two Math sections allows use of calculator
• Problems grounded in real-world contexts – charts and graphs in reading and writing; wordy Math problems!
• Analysis in Science and in History/Social Studies – not only passages but also Math questions come under this category
• Great Global Conversation and US Founding Documents – focus on critical events in US & World history/ literature, key events related to American Independence & Constitution
• NO penalty for wrong answers! Hurray! – No more losing points for guessing incorrectly

  A quick look at the changes:

  	Current SAT	New SAT
  Sections	3 sections Math Critical Reading Writing	2 sections Math Evidence-based Reading and Writing
  Essay	Mandatory	Optional
  Scoring	Section scores 200-800 Total score 2400 Essay score included in Writing score	Section scores 200-800 Total score 1600 Separate score for essay
  Penalty and answer choices	-1/4 point for each incorrect  answer in multiple choice questions 5 answer choices per question	No penalty  for incorrect answers 4 answer choices per question Reading and Writing Reading passages draw from social sciences, humanities, and literature Vocabulary tested via sentence completion questions Reading passages will be from significant historical  or scientific documents, and may include informational graphics Passages will include complex structure and vocabulary in context Passage based grammar including punctuation Math Arithmetic Algebra Geometry Calculator permitted in all Math sections Arithmetic Algebra Geometry Trigonometry Some no-calculator sections