Taking the SAT is stressful enough but this year's high school juniors have the added pressure of being the first class to experience the test in its new form.
The changes to the test include a new written essay section, the elimination of analogies and quantitative comparisons, and the addition of shorter reading passages and more advanced math questions.
The switchover from the old to the new version of the SAT leaves some high school juniors in limbo, since many students take the SAT in January of their junior year.
But Tufts and other schools will require these juniors to take the new version of the test, not available until March 2005.
"I've met with guidance counselors as well as College Board representatives and we suggest that the juniors wait until March and take the new test," said Susan Gallitano, guidance counselor from Sacred Heart High School in Kingston, Mass.
Tufts will begin to require the new SAT I test for the Class of 2010's admissions process. Students may also still submit the American College Test (ACT) if they wish.
According to Gallitano, students are most nervous about the new SAT's essay section. "Really, what's new is the new essay section ... they're sort of comparing it to the AP [Advanced Placement] exams - those essays are somewhat subjective," she said.
But preparation methods for the writing section will be familiar, as students are already familiar with essay form. "At most schools, the emphasis is on writing," Gallitano said.
While the old form of the test contained two sections - math and verbal - the new test will test math, writing and critical reading.
A perfect score on the SAT I will no longer be a 1600, but a 2400, as each section will be scored from 200 to 800 points. According to College Board, the company which designs and administers the SAT I and II, the scores of the individual sections are not meant to be added together.
The length of the test will also increase by about 30 minutes to three hours and 35 minutes.
According to the College Board Web site, the SAT will retain its function as a reasoning test but changes will better reflect what high school students are learning in contemporary classrooms.
College admissions officers do not anticipate that the redesign of the SAT will have a great impact on the admissions process.
John Hanson, Director of Admissions for Middlebury College, which does not require the SAT, suspects that the changes will have little impact on how admissions officers choose students. "Obviously, the higher the score, the more likely it is to catch our eye, but that has always been the case," Hanson said.
Tufts Dean of Admissions Lee Coffin thinks the changes to the test will be positive. "The revisions of the verbal section and the introduction of a detailed writing section parallels the academic skills we seek in a Tufts freshman," he said.
Coffin pointed out that, with the new test, admissions officer will have more data to consider in reviewing an application.
"The new writing section sounds very compelling ... an actual writing sample will also be available, and we plan to review those samples in addition to the formal essays we require," Coffin said. "That's all good in a 'most selective' admissions process like Tufts' and given the writing-intensive nature of the Tufts curriculum."
According to Coffin, however, the SAT's role in the admissions process will not be any more important than it is now. "The SAT will continue to be a supporting piece of academic information in each application," he said.
"It's all very new and we're listening to everything that's being said, I think it'll be a few years before we really feel passionately about it one way or the other," Gallitano said. She has yet to receive preparation materials from the College Board, and she said there aren't many review guides for sale.
According to Coffin, potential members of the Class of 2010 have expressed some anxiety over the changes to the test. "Change and stress go hand in hand, especially when it impacts something with the perceived importance of the SAT." Coffin said. "These are good, thoughtful revisions to the SAT. Any anxiety will dissipate once the new exam is public."
Applicants for the class of 2010 will not be given any leeway as he first to take the test. "Our admissions standards regarding score ranges will not change," he said.
"The College Board has guaranteed the validity of the new scores," Coffin said. "In other words, the new scores equal the old scores."
Universities will not necessarily be looking for students who have a total score of 2400, however.
"The new scores will equate with the old scores," Coffin said. "The one temptation, I suspect, will be to add the three scores together and see 2400 as a perfect score. That seems confusing to me. We will most likely keep the writing score separate from the verbal and math scores. In other words, 1600 will be math and critical reasoning."
According to Coffin, Tufts will require only two of the SAT II subject tests of the applicant's choice in addition to the SAT I Reasoning test. The writing portion of the new SAT I will be substituted for a former SAT II writing requirement.
The College Board will no longer offer the writing SAT II.
"My guess is that the SAT I will probably be strengthened by the addition of a writing component, but that we will learn less about a student's writing from it than we currently learn from the SAT II writing test, which will no longer be offered," Hanson said.
