A lot. But it does have some good qualities. We are taking a wait and see approach to the NEW SAT and are recommending that our students prepare for the ACT. The simple fact is that the NEW SAT is still an unknown. We simply know more about the ACT and therefore can better prepare a student for what we know and have mastered. Predictability is a large part of test prep, the ACT is currently more predictable.
Sure does look that way! The writing and language section of the NEW SAT looks a lot like the English section of the ACT – a lot! Reading on the SAT has charts and graphs like the science section of the ACT. Math, not so much. We like the math on the ACT better.
There are two math sections on the NEW SAT, section 3 will not allow students to use a calculator. Section 4 will allow the use of a calculator. We think it is a dumb move, students hate not have a calculator.
Well that’s a really good question that has both a long and a short answer. Short answer is that David Coleman, who is the President of the College Board, was involved in the creation of the Common Core. Like it or loathe it, the NEW SAT and the Common Core are intertwined. Just how we have yet to see.
That is the stated goal of the College Board, let’s see how it works out.
On the OLD SAT, there were 10 sections but only 9 of them were used to calculate the student’s score. On the NEW SAT, there are 4 sections and every question counts toward the score.
Sentence Completions will be removed from the NEW SAT. Only vocabulary in context will be tested.