Changes that you must know to crack the New SAT.
Differences and Similarities between the New and the Old SAT.
The new SAT (2016) is changing drastically from the old SAT. In terms of content, no other SAT changes in the past few decades have been this dramatic. If you’re familiar with the old SAT, here’s what you must know to understand and do well on the new SAT.
Below is a summary of differences between the New and Old SAT.
| Old SAT | New SAT | |
|---|---|---|
| When can you take it? | Before March 2016 | After March 2016 |
| Which classes can use it for college? | Class of 2016, 2017 | Class of 2017, 2018+ |
| Lowest and Highest Score Possible | 600-2400 | 400-1600 |
| Median Score (a satisfactory score) | 1500 | 1000 |
| 75th Percentile Score (a good score) | 1720 | 1150 |
| 25th Percentile Score (a bad score) | 1270 | 850 |
| Time | 3 hour 45 minutes | 3 hours 50 minutes |
| Sections | Reading, Writing, Math, Essay | Reading and Writing, Math, Essay (optional) |
| Guessing Penalty | 1/4 point off for wrong answers | No penalty for wrong answers |
| Format | Paper based | Paper based OR Computer based |
| Math Change Highlights | Geometry and shapes | Data interpretation graphs, Trignometry, Algebra II |
| Reading Change Highlights | Memorizing vocab, sentence completion | Evidence support, data reasoning |
| Writing Change Highlights | Individual sentences and grammatical rules | Passage-based questions. |
| Essay Changes | 25 minutes, answer to a theoretical prompt | 50 minutes, analyze another essay |
As you can see that there i no penalty for guessing, there are less questions but the level of difficulty of questions has gone up.
The SAT is getting closer to the ACT.
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