Redesigned SAT puts admissions to the test

For some people, the three letter exam “SAT” drove a little bit of fear in their hearts back in high school.

The standardized entrance exam is widely used in college admissions and has seen various changes in the past few years. 2016 is no exception.

“It’s a pretty big change. It’s perhaps the largest change in the last 30 thirty years.” Says Aaron Basko, assistant vice president of enrollment management at Salisbury University.

Students who took the March exam were to first ones who tested using the newly redesigned SAT. The exam got rid of a few things and will be used from here on out, but it’s also a test of how universities will now handle it in the upcoming months.

The redesign scales the highest possible score back to 1600, rather than 2400. The vocabulary section is gone.

“You’re going to see that analogies and some of those SAT buzz word kind of things…those are going to go away and instead, replaced by words that students are a little bit familiar with and trying to understand how they fit into context.” Says Basko.

The essay, which was added in 2005, is now optional. Calculators will no longer be used on certain portions of the test, and the number of answer choices for each question has been cut from five to four.

Another big change: students do not get penalized for guessing with their score now equal to the number of answers they get right.

A section on the website of College Board, which administers the exam, explains the change fosters a stronger connection to classroom learning. It reads “The world needs more people who can solve problems, communicate clearly, and understand complex relationships. The SAT Suite of Assessments focuses on the skills and knowledge that will help today’s students meet that need.”

Basko described the change as philosophy-based, adding that students who are “process-oriented” may fare better on the test. The challenge now is how colleges will adjust.

He tells 47ABC it took universities roughly four to five years to reconfigure admissions guidelines after the added the writing section in 2005, so establishing a new “norm” is going to take some time.

“What it really does set almost a completely new baseline for admissions scores. so our scores from this year are going to look nothing like our scores could from next year. Just depending on how the scoring is done” Explains Basko.

Gary Hammer, president of the Wicomico County Education Association, says he likes certain aspects of the change.

“I think if this test makes it a more fair, more diverse student body to go to college it’s a good thing.” Says Hammer, “I just think we have to be careful we’re not making an easier test.”

We’re told colleges may or may not require the essay for admission, so that will be factored into how they’ll convert scores. Colleges also have to consider how they handle a case where a student took both the old test and the new one.

As of College Board, Basko says they are expected to work on their conversions in the upcoming months.

Students have until April 8th to register for the May SAT held on May 7.

For a full list of upcoming tests and deadlines, click here.