By GIHAN RACHID
You might cringe a little bit less when you hear the news about modernized updates regarding three certain unpleasant letters: SAT.
The SAT’s are a standardized test required for many college acceptances. High school seniors, juniors and a few sophomores typically take the stressful test all over the United States to measure their readiness for college. The test ranges from a 600-2400 scale scored by members of College Board, a private non profit organization. The test usually takes up to 3 hours and 45 minutes and consists of three sections: Mathematics, Critical Reading and Writing.
“It took several months for me to prepare for the SAT’s and now hearing it gets easier gets me a little frustrated because future students won’t have to go through with this type of stress,” senior Patty Essa said.
With many years of complaints of the SAT’s importance to students, College Board has announced a pleasant surprise for upcoming students. Starting in the spring of 2016, when students open their SAT booklets they’ll be pleased to find a test filled with useful and familiar material to work with.
The updated test will now range from a 400-1600 scoring scale while the essay will be score separately. The multiple choice section is also being changed to no penalties for wrong answers. That means a students don’t get marked off for a wrong answer and get extra points for answering correctly. The material is also more relevant vocabulary that a typical teenager should have knowledge of. Problems are grounded in real world events or situations that would most likely happen.
“I think it’s a good idea for them to make the test easier and much more relevant for us, because we already stress about school and our GPA in the first place. We don’t need to worry about a test that could make or break our future,” sophomore Emily Ward said.
For upcoming freshman next year, this means new and improved material will start being taught for the improved test. For many this means a new opportunity to get accepted to the college of their choice. For those who have already taken it, a bit of envy sets in on how they’ll never be able to have this advantage.
Sample questions for the new test will be released on April 16.
