UPDATE: The College Board has announced the changes to the SAT, as detailed by The New York Times. On the most basic level, guessing wrong will no longer carry a penalty, and obligatory essays and obscure vocabulary words are out. On a larger scale, the redesign is meant to de-emphasize test-taking tricks and strategies while reinforcing skills and evidence-based thinking. Students will now, for example, sometimes be required to choose the right quote from a text that supports their answer, to analyze source documents, and to write about their experiences and opinions, but the exam will still not add a science section like the rival ACT. Additionally, College Board President David Coleman told the New York Times that both exams “have become disconnected from the work of our high schools" and admitted that high school grades are a better measure for potential success in college.
Dive Brief:
- The College Board is announcing changes to the SAT today.
- The changes — the first since 2005 — will take effect in 2016.
- Uncommon vocabulary words are expected to be on their way out, and exercises that require analyzing evidence are seen as likely additions.
Dive Insight:
The changes come as the ACT has taken the lead as the most widely used admissions test. The new test was originally scheduled to debut in 2015 but was pushed back a year following feedback from admissions officials and others.