The College Board states presently that in spring of 2016 the SAT will change. This means that current high school sophomores need to make careful plans for negotiating this change. We have been through this before in 1994 and 2005. in light of that, we have our sophomores on a schedule that we feel will maximize their preparation and opportunity to satisfy college admissions departments. We would encourage those of you with high school sophomore students to consider a similar schedule.
Since the redesigned SAT will not be released until March of 2016, the current 10th graders will prepare for and take the “old SAT” in December and January of their junior year. They will be giving the colleges scores from a test the colleges have ample predictive data from. If they get good scores they may well be finished with admission tests.
If they want better scores, we will prepare them for the ACT and “New” SAT in the spring of their junior year and the fall of their senior year.
The College Board has released some sample questions recently, but states it will not release actual practice tests until the end of June, 2015. Until that time we have small samples and descriptions of changes they provide.
Some of the changes they mention are:
- The essay will be optional and will be based on evaluating how an author used reasoning, evidence, and style in an argument type passage.
- Vocabulary words will be less esoteric and more relevant. They cite words like “synthesis” and “empirical” as the type of vocabulary they will use.
- Reading passages will be from a broad range of disciplines and will include a passage from what they label “founding documents,” such as the Bill of Rights or The Declaration of Independence. Some of the questions will require students to identify lines in the text that support their chosen answer.
- Math will focus on linear equations, complex equations, functions, ratios, percentages, and proportions, data interpretation, and statistical analysis. Calculators will only be permitted on part of the math.
- The “guessing penalty” will be eliminated and they will return to the 1600 scoring scale based on a top score of 800 for the math and reading.
If you have questions, or if we can be helpful, just call 214-691-2868 or email hdavis@studyhalldallas.com