Current freshmen actually have an SAT to look forward to now!

Starting in the spring of 2016, there will be a new, revised, and in my opinion, better standardized aptitude test, known as the SAT. This test will include an Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section, Math section, and the Essay. The Math section and the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section will make up the 200-800 point scale and the essay will be a separate score. The SAT will stay about the same length, lasting three hours plus the extra 50 minutes for the essay, assuming the student opts to write it.

The revised SAT has a few key changes from the prior one to make it a better test of a student’s knowledge that will actually help them in their future.

One change in the SAT is the vocabulary that students will be tested on will be more relevant. Also, they will be tested based on how the word is used in context it’s in. This is without a doubt an improvement from the current test because now the vocabulary tested will be words that students will use in the future. Now, instead of just memorizing flashcards of unfamiliar words such as buttress or quagmire that will be forgotten after the test is taken, the vocabulary will be easier and more appropriate to learn because it can be used in everyday life.

Another change to the current test is that now the essay is optional and it is in a different format. The new essay will ask the test taker to write about and analyze how the author makes an argument, instead of making an argument yourself, which is what the current prompt demands.

I believe these two alterations to the essay section are very beneficial and more practical because a lot of colleges and universities in the nation ignore the writing section anyway. Because of this, it makes more sense to not require the essay if the student knows that certain colleges do not take it into consideration. Also, I think the new demand of the essay is favorable because most writing assignments in college require you to do the same task required by this revised version of the essay part.

My favorite modification of the SAT is that test takers will no longer be penalized for wrong. This means that instead of losing one fourth of a point for every incorrect answer, students will only be given points on the questions they answer correctly. I think this is a great change because now students don’t have to be afraid to answer a question with the fear that it will hurt their score. Now, they can give their best effort on every question on the test.

All in all, the revised SAT starting in 2016 will be a great change because it tests students on more practical problems that they will use later on in their lives.