The competent authority of Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) an under-graduate entrance test has announced changes in the pattern of the test comprising elimination of mandatory essays removal of negative marking cutting ambiguous vocabulary words. As per the announcement made by the College Board which produces SAT via a press release published on the official website of SAT on 5 March 2014 the changes made in SAT will take effect from 2016.
The redesigned SAT, is to cover 3 sections - Reading Also Writing, Math also An Essay also will switch back to the score of 1600 from its current score scale of 2400, with having a separate score for the essay part. To select it or not can be decided by colleges individually. The test along with these changes will be conducted from the spring of 2016 also will be for three hours. Though, extra 50 minutes for the essay will also be provided. The test is going to be administered by print also computer. Other changes comprise no deduction of marks for any wrong answers. The vocabulary will be replaced with the easier words which are generally used in the college courses, in place of unknowable SAT words.
The challenge now shifts to problem-solving from Mathematics also Vocabulary. The new version of SAT test will demand candidate to analyze the reading passages in the exam also the scholar must cite specific passages from extracts of well-known writings to support their answers, which was not the case in the current SAT version. Majority of American colleges ask candidate for their SAT or ACT exam score for approving admission to their graduate programmes.
College-entrance SAT exam set for major overhaul in 2016:
An obligatory essay, arcane vocabulary words also penalties for wrong answers will be gone from the widely used SAT exam as of 2016 as administrators try to make the consistent test more reflective of a scholar's readiness for college. The College Board which oversees the exam required by most colleges also universities for admission needs the test to focus more on what scholars learn in high school also their ability to think analytically said by its chief executive.
"It is time to admit which the SAT also ACT have become disconnected from the work of our high schools," David Coleman told reporters in Austin in prepared remarks. The ACT is an additional widely utilized consistent test for university admission.
"Research shows which mastery of fewer, more important things matters more than the superficial coverage of many" he said. More than 2 million scholars take the SAT every year according to the College Board which is based in New York. College Board said it is also trying to correct for advantages more affluent scholars have in being able to pay for exam tutors also test kits. It, along with the Khan Academy, a non-profit education agency, will provide free test-preparation material for the new exam. The redesigned exam will be taken about three hours to complete also will include three sections: evidence-based reading also writing, math also the optional essay.
SAT exam announced following major changes:
The originator of the SAT exam announced major changes to the college entrance exam. The redesign the first since 2005 will make the essay portion optional also remove the most obscure vocabulary words end the penalty for randomly guessing wrong answers. The latest SAT returns to a 1600 point scoring system from the current 2400.
The math section will be more narrowly focused on use of percentages, ratios also proportions also another section will focus on functions associated to calculus. The mathematics section which covered a wide array of subjects will be streamlined to the three topics of algebra, advanced math also problem solving also data analysis. Calculator will only be allowed on certain portions of the math section. Currently it is allowed for all math sections. The elective essay portion will have a separate score dropping the top score back to 1600 where it was until 2005 when it was raised to 2400 also the essay will be optional also scored separately. For wrong answers Quarter point penalties will no longer be assessed. The new exam will have evidence-based reading also writing, in which test takers will be required to cite a specific passage to support their answer choice. It will also require test takers to analyze text also data. A major document such as President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address will be part of the exam.
President of the College Board David Coleman criticize his own test the SAT also its major rival the ACT both ‘have become disconnected from the work of our high schools' David Coleman president of the College Board told the Times. Only 43 percent of the high school class of 2013 scored high enough to succeed in college, College Board, the non-profit which produces the exam, told USA Today.
Latest version will be administered beginning in 2016:
Analysis of the SAT has long found a correlation stuck between higher earnings also higher scores also the test has been criticized as an unfair assessment for college admissions as scholars from wealthier families can afford expensive SAT tutoring sessions, while lower-income scholars cannot. College Board's revamp of exam will comprise programs to help low-income scholars, like fee waivers for up to four college applications, as well as free online practice problems also instructional videos.
At the end of the day high grades in high school stay a better indication of success in college than SAT scores also more also more schools are taking note. More than 800 colleges as well as universities do not even require SAT or ACT scores to apply for admission. For example: Wake Forest University establish which ending the SAT requirement made its scholar body more diverse.