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Parent Corner for Parents of High School Students

All about the new SAT

Beginning in March 2005, teens with college dreams tackled a whole new SAT. The new exam has substantial changes in the math and verbal sections - and for the first time will include a writing component. The new exam debuted on March 12, 2005. According to the College Board, which produces the SAT and test-prep materials, the new SAT reflectS the higher level learning expected in most high schools today.

The SAT (short for Scholastic Aptitude Test) is widely believed to be a good indicator of how well students will do with college-level learning. For this reason, most four-year colleges and universities - including those in the SUNY system - require applicants to take and report their scores on the SATs.

What the new SAT includes

The new test has three sections: math, critical reading (formerly the verbal section) and a new writing section. Here is a look at each section:

• MATH: The new math section has fewer "quantitative comparisons" (problems where students compare equations in "column A" and "column B" and decide which is larger) and more higher-level math (Algebra II). Students will be given more time to complete this section.

• CRITICAL READING: In this portion of the new SAT, students will read brief passages (100 to 200 words) and answer multiple-choice questions about them. Gone from this section are analogies - test questions that ask students to figure out the relationships between phrases or terms, such as "bird is to nest" as "beaver is to dam."

• WRITING: The new SAT essay question is designed to show how well students use writing to express their thoughts and support their ideas about a topic in a limited amount of time. The writing section will also include multiple-choice questions on improving sentences and paragraphs and identifying grammar errors.

• SCORING: Each of the three sections is now worth 800 points. The maximum a student can score is 2,400 (vs. 1,600 on the current test.)

• PRICE: The cost of taking the new SAT IS $41.50 - an increase of $10 to $12 over what was previously charged for the  exam.

Should every teen take the SAT?

Any teen who plans to apply to a four-year college should take the SAT tests, as well as the PSAT/NMSQT.

Though many community colleges and vocational programs do not require the SAT, teens heading to two-year schools should consider taking the exam. Many of these students end up transferring to four-year schools. Moreover, SAT scores may be high enough to put students in line for a scholarship or acceptance at a school they thought was out of their reach.

Students in the class of 2006, this year's juniors, will generally be the first group of teens to take the new SAT.

Seniors graduating this June who are taking the SAT for the first time, or who plan to retake the test to try to improve their scores, should check with the colleges where they are applying before deciding which version of the test to take. Though colleges may take scores from either test, some may prefer to see results from the new SAT since it includes the writing assessment. Either way, it's important to know that the current version of the SAT will be administered for the last time on January 22, 2005.

For more information or to register for an SAT exam date, visit the College Board Web.

Prepping for the test

Here are some suggestions that can help teens do their best with the new version of the SAT:

• Read. Much of the SAT involves reading. For this reason, teens who are avid readers (of both fiction and non-fiction) will do better with the exam.

• Write. New York students from kindergarten through high school have lots of opportunity to hone their writing skills as they practice for state exams. Teens will do better on the writing section of the SAT if they are able to clearly state and support an opinion with real-life examples and can use good grammar and punctuation.

• Take higher-level math classes. The new SAT will include questions from Algebra II. For this reason, students who challenge themselves and tackle higher-level math in high school (courses leading beyond the basic "Math A" Regents graduation requirement) are likely to do better with this section of the test.

• Practice. Taking the time to become familiar with the format of the test will help ease test anxiety. It can also show teens which skills they may need to work on. There are many SAT-prep classes, online tutorials and workbooks to help teens prepare for the SATs. Since all three sections of the test are timed, taking the practice exams under timed conditions can also help teens get a feel for how quickly they need to work through a section in order to finish the bulk of the questions.

For permission to reprint this article, please contact the Capital Region BOCES Communications Service by e-mail us at dbushsuf@gw.neric.org.

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