Taking on the new SAT: sharpen your Number 2 pencils and prepare to tackle the updated version of the college admission exam

Careers and Colleges, Sept-Oct, 2005 by Maura Christopher

The Scholastic Assessment Test? No sweat. It's just a test, right? You sit down and whip out the old Number 2. Before you know it, you've filled in a snappy pattern of little black circles, guaranteed to give you a perfect score.

If only. The reality, unfortunately, is a bit more nerve-racking. When it comes to college admission, your college entrance exam is the second-most critical factor that admission officers at most schools consider. Only your grades in college-prep courses count for more. As Andrew Lutz, director of research and development at The Princeton Review, says, "A good SAT score may not get you into the college of your choice, but a bad score can definitely keep you out."

What's more--if the pressure weren't intense enough already--the College Board officially unveiled a new SAT exam last spring that presented these new challenges:

* A LONGER TEST The new SAT clocks in at a mind-numbing three and a half hours versus three hours for the old test.

* NEW SCORING The exam includes three sections (math, critical reading, and writing) instead of just two (math and verbal). The scoring for each section is based on a 200- to 800-point scale, so the maximum total score is now 2,400 versus 1,600. The College Board expects the median score to rise from 1,000 to about 1,500.

* WRITER'S CRAMP The most significant change is the addition of a 30-minute handwritten essay. You will be given a prompt, such as a quote, on which to base an essay You're now expected to stake out a position and support it with examples from your personal life and studies.

* NO MORE ANALOGIES Replacing the seemingly endless string of subtle vocabulary relationships (i.e. analogies: big drag) are short critical reading passages and new multiple-choice grammar questions.

* HARDER MATH Algebra II and geometry equations have been added; quantitative-comparison questions have been dropped.

* A BUMP IN THE COST The new test costs $41.50 instead of $26.

For students, the changes are a mix of good and bad news. The good news?" Overall, the new SAT is a slightly better test than the old one," Lutz says. "[Although it's a longer test,] it reflects more accurately what students actually study in college-prep classes."

Behind the Change

Colleges have been pushing for this change for years. In fact, a number of schools had limited or dropped their use of the SAT because of their dissatisfaction. (Check www. fairtest.org for a list.) In 2001, the pressure to change the test crested when Richard Atkinson, then president of the huge University of California system, threatened to drop the SAT unless a writing exam was added. His research showed that a writing sample could be a good predictor of college success.

The writing test on the new SAT is virtually identical to the old SAT II writing test, which the College Board has eliminated. "The essay is really something that can be prepared for," says Elizabeth Villanova, founder and director of The Academic Center of Tampa. Some test-prep companies are so confident that they can dramatically improve a student's essay score that they're increasing their guarantee on points of improvement.

As for the analogies, few test-takers miss them, and they were rarely covered in high school curricula. Regarding the math: Algebra II and geometry concepts are tough, but they're covered in college-prep classes. What's more, these questions will account for only 10% of the total math section. Another bonus: overall, students have slightly more time per question.

Going the Distance

The biggest downside? The length of the new SAT is daunting. Richa Dhawan, a 17-year-old from Bridgewater, New Jersey, took a free practice version of the new SAT and says, "The test took much more stamina than I had realized. You're switching from math to critical reading to a different kind of math. I was at the test site from 9 to nearly 1:30."

To score high, you have to prepare yourself to go the distance. Here are tips from test-prep experts, coolheaded kids, and the College Board.

* SEEK CHALLENGING COURSES. Look for classes that will help you polish your essay-writing skills. And take Algebra II.

* POLISH YOUR COMPREHENSION SKILLS. "Even on the math, you have to be a good reader to understand what is being asked," Villanova notes.

* PREP YOURSELF. Set up a regular SAT study routine well in advance of the test. There are test books, online exams, and software. Companies offer test-prep courses that typically cost up to $1,000 for 6 to 12 sessions, but some schools also offer free or low-cost prep. Also, juniors should take the PSAT this fall. It has been revised to reflect the new SAT.

* WATCH THE CLOCK. Time yourself on practice tests. "You'd be surprised at the number of parents who say, 'My child did well on the practice test,' and it turns out that the child had all weekend to work on it," Villanova says.

* TAKE CARE. Accuracy counts, so read all questions carefully and don't rush. It's better to get easy and average questions right than to charge ahead to the problems that very few people will answer correctly. Also, check that if you're on question 37, you're filling in number 37 on your answer sheet.