In the past few weeks, we have been writing about the new SAT that will go into effect in the spring of 2016. The College Board recently unveiled its plans for the new exam that will contain relevant vocabulary words, focus in greater depth on fewer math topics, and ask students to cite specific passages that support their answers.
Another reason the College Board has redesigned its exam is to help low and middle-income students. According to David Coleman, the College Board’s president, all students who take the SAT who are financially eligible will directly receive four admission-fee waivers and students can qualify online rather than requesting a waiver through their high-school counselor.
In addition, students will be able to have access to free online test preparation, including unreleased practice problems and instructional videos about the exam.
However, Nancy Leopold, executive director of CollegeTracks, a Maryland group that works with low-income and first-generation students, said, “Great idea and probably much better and more customized online prep than ever before.” But Leopold mentioned that few students in any socioeconomic group had been motivated enough to seek online resources by themselves.
Leopold also added that students “still need some knowledgeable, compassionate grownups” to help guide them and teach them.
In addition, Leopold isn’t totally convinced of the new SAT changes. She said, “They do not address the underlying access problem that the College Board’s member colleges rely on a test that has been demonstrated to systematically understate the abilities of low-income and underserved minority students.”
Finally, some experts believe this new SAT change is to make it more similar to its main competitor, the ACT.
Paul Weeks, vice president for customer engagement at ACT Inc. said that the ACT conducts a regular curriculum survey to make sure that what’s on the [ACT] matches what’s being taught in schools and required by colleges.
Weeks said about the new SAT, “Most of the changes that were announced today really validate our approach. We’ve been on that path for a long time.”
Whether you take the SAT or the ACT, we offer a variety of programs that will help you prepare for either of these college entrance exams. So, please give us a call and we can explain to you how our proven program works.