All you wanted to know about the new SAT
he world's most widely used undergraduate test has now changed.
If you plan to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test in May, you will need appear for the revised SAT.
Gaston Caperton, president, College Board (the board that governs American colleges), states, "The current SAT I is the most rigorously and well-researched test in the world, and the new SAT I will only improve the test's current strengths by placing the highest possible emphasis on the most important college success skills -- reading and mathematics and, now, writing.
"The SAT II: Writing Test," he adds, "has given us the basis for now developing a new SAT I writing component."
SAT was last changed in 1994 and the previous SAT had 6 scored sections and 1 experimental section.
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Factor
Previous SAT
New SAT
Maximum Score
1600
2400
Essay score range
N/A
1-6
Math Section Time
75 min (two 30 min sections and one 15 min section)
70 min (two 25 min sections and one 20 min section)
English Section Time
75 min (two 30 min sections and one 15 min section)
70 min (two 25 min sections and one 20 min section)
Math Content
Algebra I, Numbers and Operations, Statistics, Probability and Data Analysis
Algebra II, Numbers and Operations, Statistics, Probability and Data Analysis
English Content
Critical Reading Section: Sentence Completion, Analogies and Reading Comprehension
Writing Section: N/A
Critical Reading Section: Reading Comprehension, Sentence Completion
Writing Section: Grammar usage, word choice and essays
A summary of changes in the new SAT
i. A writing test will be added, including multiple-choice questions and a student-written essay.
ii. Analogies will be replaced by more critical reading passages from a variety of texts ranging from science and history to humanities and literature (what is now called the Verbal Reasoning Test will be renamed the Critical Reading Test to emphasise the importance of reading).
iii. The math test will be expanded to include topics from Algebra II, and quantitative comparisons will be eliminated.
The makers and changers of the SAT believe the predictive validity of the new SAT is higher than that of the old test.
In fact, the College Board recommends that colleges use the SAT essay instead of separate essays during college application essay.
The College Board is developing a system to allow the essay scores to be hidden or seen. This system gives students the option of showing or hiding their essay scores to the universities they are applying to.
Cost of the examination: $81.50 (Rs 3,565 approximately). The previous SAT cost about $58 (Rs 2,537 approximately).
Duration: 3 hours and 45 minutes (the previous SAT was approximately 3 hours).
So what will all these changes actually mean for Indian students?
Helen Mathur, who trains students for SAT in Mumbai [ Images ], states:
1. You will have to be more a proficient reader.
Vocabulary development will still be important, but the emphasis has shifted to reading and comprehension skills.
2. You will need to learn grammar and cultivate essay writing skills.
You will need to understand the style of writing and language usage that American high schools teach.
3. You will need to use some Math skills that are normally taught in Class XI.
Until now, you could manage with what you learnt in Class X. For the average student, the new SAT could be a challenge, but many students will find preparation for the new test more useful than simply learning up a lot of words.
4. The SAT is probably a better examination from the point of view of the colleges: SAT is supposed to be used as a predictor of college grades, and you do need good reading, writing, and reasoning skills to succeed in higher education.
Illustration: Dominic Xavier
Do you have a question for Karan? Top reasons to study in the US
Karan Gupta is the founder of Mrijay International Education Consultants, which coaches students to study abroad. He studied at Ithaca College and the University of Texas at Austin. He worked at the Office of Admissions, Financial Aid office and the International Office, which gave him first hand experience into the workings of the admissions process for American Universities. Karan Gupta is currently the honorary study-abroad college counselor at Jai Hind College. He has written several articles on study abroad, loans, scholarships, visas and admissions.
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