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Why
Is the SAT Changing?
The
SAT assesses student reasoning based on knowledge and skills developed
by the student in school coursework. The new SAT will improve the
alignment of the test with current curriculum and institutional
practices in high school and college. By including a third measure of
skills -- writing, the new SAT will help colleges make better
admissions and placement decisions. In that way, the new SAT will
reinforce the importance of writing throughout a student's education.
SAT
Question Types
Each
edition of the SAT includes a Critical Reading, Math, and Writing
section, with a specific number of questions related to content.
What
Will Change?
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Writing
(new section)
|
*
Multiple-choice questions (grammar and usage)
*Student-written
essay
|
|
Critical
Reading
(currently called Verbal)
|
*
Analogies eliminated
*Short
reading passages added to existing long reading passages
|
|
Math
|
*
Math content expanded to include topics from third-year
college preparatory math
*Quantitative
comparisons eliminated
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Each section of the
test will be scored using the familiar scale of 200-800, and scores
for the current and future tests will remain equivalent. The new
writing test will also be scored using a scale of 200-800.
The new SAT will
provide you, your high school counselor and admissions offices with
three separate scores: math, critical reading, and writing. Two sub
scores will be given for the writing section: a multiple-choice sub
score on a scale of 20-80, and an essay sub score, on a scale of 2-12.
The
essay will be scored by experienced and trained high school and
college teachers. Each essay will be scored by two people who won't
know each other's score. They won't know your identity or school
either. Each reader will give the essay a score from 1 to 6 (6 is the
highest score) based on the overall quality of the essay and your
demonstration of writing competence. The two scores will then be added
together to arrive at your essay sub score.
Spelling,
Punctuation, and Handwriting
Even
with some errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar, you can still
get a top score on the essay. The essay will be scored using a
holistic approach. That means readers will consider the essay as a
total piece of work and will judge it on the overall impression it
produces. Handwriting will not count against you, but essay readers
must be able to read your writing in order to score your essay, so you
should try to write legibly.
The
Unscored Section
In
addition, there is one 25-minute unscored section, known as the
variable or equating section. This unscored section may be either a
critical reading, math, or multiple-choice writing section. This
unscored section does not count toward the final score, but is used to
try out new questions for future editions of the SAT and to ensure
that scores on new editions of the SAT are comparable to scores on
earlier editions of the test.
Test
Order
The
25-minute essay will always be the first section of the SAT, and the
10-minute multiple-choice writing section will always be the final
section. The remaining six 25-minute sections can appear in any order,
as can the two 20-minute sections. Test takers sitting next to each
other in the same testing session may have test books with entirely
different sections.
THE
MATHEMATIC SECTION
|
Time
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Content
|
Item Types
|
Score
|
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70 min.
(two 25-min. sections and one 20-min. section)
|
Number
and operations; algebra and functions; geometry; statistics,
probability, and data analysis
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Five-choice
multiple-choice questions and student-produced responses
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200-800
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Overview
The SAT will include expanded math topics, such as
exponential growth, absolute value, and functional notation, and place
greater emphasis on such other topics as linear functions,
manipulations with exponents, and properties of tangent lines.
Important skills formerly measured in the quantitative
comparison format, such as estimation and number sense, will continue
to be measured through the multiple choice and student response
(grid-in) questions.
CAN
I USE THE CALCULATOR
Yes. Students can use a four-function, scientific, or
graphing calculator. The College Board recommends that students use a
calculator at least at the scientific level for the SAT, although it's
still possible to solve every question without a calculator.
MATH
REVIEW
For the new SAT, the mathematics
content level of the test will be raised to include more advanced
topics. The following math concepts will be covered beginning with the
March 2005 test.
NUMBER
OF OPERATION
*
Arithmetic word problems (including percent,
ratio, and proportion)
*
Properties of integers (even, odd, prime
numbers, divisibility, etc.)
*
Rational numbers
*
Logical reasoning
*
Sets (union, intersection, elements)
*
Counting techniques
*
Sequences and series (including exponential
growth)
*
Elementary number theory
<<<<<Review
arithmetic and algebraic concepts>>>>>
ALGEBRA
AND FUNCTIONS
*
Substitution and simplifying algebraic
expressions
*
Properties of exponents
*
Algebraic word problems
*
Solutions of linear equations and
inequalities
*
Systems of equations and inequalities
*
Quadratic equations
*
Rational and radical equations
*
Equations of lines
*
Absolute value
*
Direct and inverse variation
*
Concepts of algebraic functions
*
Newly defined symbols based on commonly used
operations
<<<<<Review
arithmetic and algebraic concepts>>>>>
*
Area and perimeter of a
polygon
*
Area and circumference of a circle
*
Volume of a box, cube, and cylinder
*
Pythagorean Theorem and special properties of
isosceles, equilateral, and right triangles
*
Properties of parallel and perpendicular
lines
*
Coordinate geometry
*
Geometric visualization
*
Slope
*
Similarity
*
Transformations
<<<<<Review
geometric concepts>>>>>
DATA
ANALYSIS, PROBABILITY & STATISTICS
*
Data interpretation
*
Statistics (mean, median, and mode)
*
Probability
<<<<<Review
arithmetic and algebraic concepts>>>>>
*
The Math Section has two types of questions:
THE CRITICAL
READING SECTION
Overview
|
Time
|
Content
|
Item Types
|
Score
|
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70
min. (two 25-min. sections and one 20-min. section)
|
Critical
reading and sentence-level reading
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Reading
comprehension, sentence completions, and paragraph-length
critical reading
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200-800
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The critical reading section, formerly known as the verbal
section, will include short reading passages along with the existing
long reading passages. Analogies have been eliminated, but
sentence-completion questions and passage-based reading questions
remain.
The Critical Reading Section measures:
*
Sentence
Completions
*
Passage
Based Reading
THE
WRITING SECTION
OVERVIEW
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Time
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Content
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Item Types
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Score
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60
min.
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Grammar,
usage, and word choice
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Multiple
choice questions (35 min.) and student-written essay (25 min.)
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200-800
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Short
Essay
The
short essay measures your ability to:
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Organize and express ideas clearly
*
Develop and support the main idea
*
Use appropriate word choice and sentence structure
*
You'll be asked to develop a point of a view
on an issue, using reasoning and evidence — based on your own
experiences, readings, or observations — to support your
ideas.
*
The essay will be scored by trained high
school and college teachers. Each reader will give the essay a score
from 1 to 6 (6 is the highest score) based on the overall quality of
the essay and your demonstration of writing competence.
*
Get more information about the essay:
*
Sample
Essay Question
*
Essay
Scoring Guide
Multiple-Choice
The multiple-choice writing questions measure your ability to:
Improve sentences and paragraphs
Identify errors (such as diction, grammar, sentence construction,
subject-verb agreement, proper word usage, and wordiness)
multiple-choice questions:
*
Identifying
Sentence Errors
*
Improving
Sentences
*
Improving
Paragraphs
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