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.
Commonly asked questions
The SAT Digital exam pattern is divided into two main sections of reading + writing and maths sections. All questions tested on SAT are MCQ based with 11 SPR type questions. The SAT exam is 2 hours and 14 minutes long with a 10 minute break in between. Both sections are divided into two modules, each of them are of the same duration. There have been a couple of changes which have been marked between old SAT exam and new Digital SAT exam.
As per the new SAT or SAT digital, the SAT exam pattern has changed slightly. The subject tests have been scrapped, essays are no more a part of the SAT exam for international students. The duration of SAT digital has reduced by almost one hour. The total number of questions have also reduced. Candidates are allowed to bring a basic calculator for answering all Math section questions or use the graphic calculator on Bluebook.
Also, the new SAT exam pattern gives the students the benefit of attempting the exam on their own devices, which is a boon for students. This also boosts the applicant's morale.
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.
SAT includes sets of questions from easy to difficult. Easy questions are usually answered correctly by 90% of the students while hard questions are answered correctly by less than 30% of students. So, if you like reading and more into words then the Reading section will be smooth for you. Similarly, you need to understand the complete pattern and see whether it is difficult for you or not. Whichever section of SAT is difficult for the applicants, they can go ahead and prepare for it first.
Check: New SAT Format: Difference Between Old and New SAT Format
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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Aishwarya Bhatnagar is a specialised content curator with 8+ years of experience in EdTech content, particularly in studying abroad. She is a Study Abroad Expert at Shiksha.com (InfoEdge India Ltd) si
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