by Mryralexis Tijerina|staff writer
Starting in March, College Board will administer a new version of the SAT that will be graded on a 400-1600 scoring system, provide students with up to 3 hours and 50 minutes to take the exam, including an optional 50-minute essay, no guessing penalty, and it can also be taken via print or computer format.
“I think they re-designed the SAT to better reflect current students who are learning in school,” counselor Desiree Meza said. “The way the questions are now being ordered [is] a lot [more] straightforward, before they were more confusing. So I think they are lining it more with the structure the way the SAT was [originally] designed.”
For students who need to complete a college-level entrance exam, and/or are trying to meet the testing component for a dual credit course, the SAT or ACT are viable options. These exams are offered on a monthly basis, and students must sign-up to take the exam at an approved location, pay the testing fee, and bring the print out of their testing ticket and student ID to the testing center. In addition, there are various studying guides and classes that students can take in order to prepare for the exam.
“Most people wing the first one to see what they get. But I took prep courses and one of my friends had a personal tutor to help them on certain subjects. I did two SAT prep books and I took seven practice exams,” junior Jessica Cohen said.
While some students may have had prior experience with the SAT, for any students who sign up to take the exam in February will be taking the new SAT in March, and may not know what to expect, such as the fact that the essay is now optional and not required by colleges.
“The composite scores are going to be on [three] sections: the math, reading, and writing section. Then there is an optional essay which is a separate score. [Typically] colleges want to see your math and your reading section only,” Meza said.
Even if students don’t have the knowledge of the new SAT, they are still willing to take it so prepare for their future.
“The best part for me was the writing because that is just my strongest [subject, and] the hardest part was the math, it got pretty [difficult] at the end,” junior Kaylee Smith said. “I would take the new SAT because there is just more opportunities for scholarships.”
Students tend to react badly by taking tests on a daily basis yet when it come to a test that helps you with your future. The re-designed test was to make students more comfortable to take in order to continue in their future goals.
“I think it’s going to be really different on the grading scale, they’re trying to make it not necessarily easier but they’re trying to make it more reliable for students that maybe aren’t really good test takers but they are obviously getting ready for college,” Cohen said.
