Senior Joanne Taborda has  mixed feelings regarding the substantial changes in the new SAT.

“I feel like the new format is much easier because the English portion is more straightforward with the new SAT,” said senior Joanne Taborda.

The new SAT was administered for the first time in March 2016 and many seniors will be taking it this fall. The redesigned SAT is now broken down into three sections: evidence based reading and writing, math and an optional essay.

“The College Board’s mission is to support college and career readiness and success for all students and to make sure that those who are prepared take full advantage of the opportunities they have earned,” said Jaslee Carayol, the Associate Director of Media Relations for The College Board, which administers the exam.

The new  content of the SAT draws from the national Common Core standards. Students are required to dig deeper into texts and formulate their own analysis.

“Now when students take the SAT, they can focus on showing their strengths, not tricks or strategies,” Carayol said. “Eliminating these false barriers means more students will have an opportunity to put their best foot forward on the SAT.”

The new math section gives students 80 minutes to solve 58 questions consisting of multiple choice and grid-ins and is further divided into two sections: Math Test-Calculator and Math Test-No Calculator. 

If students decide to take the optional essay portion of the SAT, they are given 50 minutes to provide an analysis of a given text.

The University of California system requires the essay while Cal States do not.

“Take this test seriously. Studying the week before is not enough,” said Linda Zimring, the volunteer college counselor at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School. “This is a high stakes test meaning that a lot rides on this score. Also consider taking the ACT. It is a completely different kind of test and some students score higher on it.”