Note: The SAT exam will be undergoing a big change in 2016. Changes include a new structure, new score, new sections, and a new approach to testing. Read all about the New SAT.
The College Board has announced that it will make a few changes in the format of SAT exams and a new structure can be expected by 2016. The essay section will be made optional starting in 2016 and very difficult vocabulary words will be eliminated, something that will be helpful for school students preparing for the SAT.
Scoring will have a maximum of 1,600 points for math, reading and writing. The optional essay will be scored separately. Students will need to show critical-thinking skills by analyzing science and history texts.
The SAT chages are mainly because of complaints from educators and families about costly preparation for the test and that the test had become disconnected from school education. Most colleges in US require either SAT or ACT scores to help determine admission qualifications.
The compulsory essay was added in 2005.
Yes, the latest SAT digital exam pattern for testing is definitely beneficial for international students. There are various benefits - SAT exam duration has reduced, there is no need to carry a calculator because it is available on the Bluebook App, calculators can be used for all maths questions, the SAT syllabus has clubbed two sections into one i.e. reading and writing and the most important part is that the exam has gone digital from pencil-paper test.
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SAT exam's scoring pattern is slightly new and each section on SAT is scored equally that is, between 200-800. Where 400 is the minimum score on SAT and the highest is 1600. SAT sections are scored separately but the score report will have an overall analysis along with the sectional-score analysis for applicants and colleges to assess SAT exam performance.