In 2014, the College Board released a giant 210-page specification for the redesigned SAT which first started being implemented in the Spring of 2016. We’ve read through this document page by page so you don't have to. This article is a new SAT guide that will go through the most relevant points for students, parents, and educators to understand about the new SAT test. We'll dig deeper than most of the guides out there, which seems preoccupied with superficial changes like easier vocabulary and the shift to a 1600 scale. By reading our guide, you'll know answers to the following questions:
Here's a table of contents in case you want to find a specific section. I recommend you read through the entire article to get a full grasp of how the new SAT works.
Overall ChangesThe College Board has promised that the new SAT test will test skills that are more predictive of success in college and beyond. We find generally that the SAT changes in 2016 accomplish this goal.
Greater Emphasis on Reasoning Skills and Context, Not Skills in IsolationHistorically the SAT has tested skills in isolation. Vocabulary-based questions would basically evaluate whether the student knew the common definition of that word (like 'expropriate'). Writing questions would often test a single grammatical rule in a single sentence. Math questions would test a single math concept for a question of limited scope. Instead, the new SAT emphasizes higher-level logical and reasoning skills. The Reading and Writing questions are now entirely passage-based, giving more opportunities to test a deeper understanding of how the passage is logically constructed and to draw connections between different parts of the passage. The Math section emphasizes more practical, realistic scenarios and introduces multi-step problems.
Fewer Learnable 'Tricks'The SAT has often been criticized for asking deceptive questions and for using tricks to complicate questions. This meant that students who performed well in school may do poorly on the SAT simply because they were unaccustomed to the presentation of questions. As a result of emphasizing higher-level reasoning, the new SAT features fewer tricks, particularly in the Math and Writing sections. The skills tested are more difficult, but the presentation is more straightforward.
Greater Predictability of Test ContentThe College Board now spells out the makeup of each section, with percentages of questions represented across each major skill. It also specifies the types of passages that will be used. For example, the Reading section will contain one passage in US and World Literature, two passages in History/Social Studies, and two passages in Science. This makes the test more predictable - the tests will deviate less from test to test. This fits the SAT's goal of being more transparent to reduce test anxiety for students.
Format Changes
At this point, I can't help mentioning that the new SAT looks a lot like the ACT. Whereas the pre-2016 SAT had major differences from the ACT, the 2016 SAT is quite similar. From here, we'll break down each of the major sections of the SAT.
The Reading Section of the New 2016 SATOverall Gist of Changes to the Reading Section
Greater emphasis on: vocabulary in context; command of evidence; constructing logical arguments; scientific reasoning. Lesser emphasis on: difficult vocabulary and vocabulary in isolation.
Reading Questions You'll Never See Again:Sentence Completions: These questions often tested more difficult vocabulary, and it was difficult to answer correctly without knowing the definition of the word. (This question and all current SAT questions come from the 2014 SAT Practice Test by the College Board).
New Reading Question TypesEvidence Support Questions: For the first time, the SAT Reading section will have questions that build on each other. The student will be prompted to answer a question about the passage - for example, the author's tone or stance on a topic - and in the next question be asked to cite evidence for the answer in the previous question. Here's an example: (The full passage can be found on page 88 of the SAT specifications.) This type of question builds on the SAT's desire to move toward higher-level reasoning skills. The student will need to support his or her answer with evidence from the passage.
Data Reasoning Questions: For the first time, the SAT Reading section will include figures that show data. The student will need to interpret the data in the figure and place it in the context of the overall passage - for example, how does this figure support the author's argument? This type of data analysis and graph reading has never before been tested on the Reading section of the SAT. Especially tricky questions will likely be inference questions - for example, 'the author is least likely to support which interpretation of the data in this figure?'
Student Study Tips for the New Reading Section
The Writing and Language Section of the 2016 SATOverall Gist for Changes to the Writing Section
Less emphasis on: Grammatical rules tested in isolation, “Gotcha” questions like faulty modifiers, subject/verb agreement.
Questions You'll Never See AgainThe SAT is getting rid of individual writing questions, like the Sentence Error and Improving Sentences questions below: These questions typically tested single grammatical rules in isolation. Furthermore, they were 'tricky' in the sense that the SAT would use the same methods to obfuscate the grammar rule being tested. If you weren't familiar with these tricks, you would be likely to get the question wrong. For example, the rodeo question above tests Number Agreement. The error is B - 'rodeo' is a singular noun, which means 'they predate' should be replaced by 'it predates.' The SAT complicates this rule by inserting a complicated phrase in between ('includes games...century'). On the current SAT, this is one of the most common skills tested, and it nearly always shows up in this way. If you don't know this trick the SAT plays, it's harder to answer the question.
New Writing Question Types:The new SAT scraps the single questions for passage-based questions. They still test grammatical and writing logic concepts, but the presentation is very different. Each question now refers to a sentence within the passage. Most grammatical questions will still deal with just a single sentence - questions 1-3, for example, can be answered in isolation without reading the rest of the passage. However, some questions will require you to read the whole passage and understand its organization. Question 4 requires you to know the context of the sentence to choose the right word. Question 5 requires you to understand the point of the paragraph so that you can determine the most logical flow.
Student Study Tips for Writing
The New SAT Essay for the Redesigned SATOveral Gist of Changes
Greater emphasis on: analyzing an argument; understanding how evidence and rhetorical devices contribute to an argument. Lesser emphasis on: answering a theoretical prompt; coming up with your own evidence to support your thesis.
Questions You'll Never See AgainThe old SAT usually asked students to answer a theoretical prompt and support with evidence. Here's an example: The College Board received heavy criticism for ignoring factual inaccuracies in the essay. A student could, for example, say that World War II occurred in 1980 with no score deduction. It was also criticized for constraining the essay time to 25 minutes, which made it difficult to craft compelling arguments.
New Question TypesThe new SAT essay is much more mechanical and argument focused. These are the new instructions: (The passage text has been omitted, but you can find it on page 125 of the document). The prompt is now asking for something completely different from the current SAT. The student is asked to analyze how the author builds an argument, cite evidence from the passage, and to ignore the student's personal stance on the subject. On a high level, this is a much more relevant skill for college and ordinary life compared to writing a 25-minute essay on whether technology is improving the world.
Student Study Tips for the 2016 SAT EssayDespite the change in format, this is still a very predictable and trainable section. Analyze the following types of logic to build your essay:
A couple more helpful tips for the new SAT Essay:
The Math Section in the Redesigned SAT 2016Overall Gist of Changes to Math
Greater emphasis on: data interpretation and graphs; algebra and solving equations; realistic scenarios as prompts for questions.
Math Questions You'll Never See AgainThe current SAT has questions that don't test concepts explicitly taught in school. There's often a trick to these questions that doesn't translate well into math that's practical for the real world. Here's an example: This question requires you to decipher the convoluted point of the question, then understand how to use the data in the chart to find the answer. It's no surprise that this is one of the most difficult questions on the practice test. I call these questions 'logical reasoning,' but in a bad way - these are more like IQ questions rather than an application of math skills. Geometry, which currently takes up 25-30% of questions, will be reduced to 10% or less.
New Math Question TypesThe new SAT emphasizes real situations and word problems much more. Real situations make the questions seem more relevant to everyday life:
Questions are more straightforward. In the following question, the student simply has to solve for k, rather than a more complicated question typical of the current SAT.
Multi-part questions are not only based on realistic scenarios but also present more complicated situations that require understanding what math concepts to employ.
Finally, trigonometry will be appearing on the SAT for the first time, but it'll be limited to very few (<5%)>5%)>
Student Study Tips for the New Math Section
ConclusionWe've gone through all the tips for how the new SAT is different, and how that means the guide to studying for the new SAT will be different. At this point, we can conclude that ...
We'll continue dissecting the 210-page SAT specifications into finer points, but these are the most relevant points for students, parents, and educators to understand today.
What's Next?For every student in the class of 2017 and below, we recommend taking the pre-2016 SAT. All colleges will accept this for admissions, and there's so much known about this test that it's in your advantage to take this test. What does it take to get a perfect SAT score? Read our guide to getting a perfect score, written by a perfect scorer.
Want to improve your SAT score by over 160 points? Try a 5-day free trial of our leading SAT prep program. We customize your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses so that you make the most progress in the most effective way. |
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