Insights into SAT® Exam

The SAT® exam changed in March 2016. Since then, the team at the Socratic Summer Academy has been investigating what makes the "new" test different.

In March 2016, the College Board rolled out the "new" SAT® exam, changing from a possible total score of 2400 to a possible total score of 1600. The maximum score isn't the only thing that changed, however. We invest hundreds of hours each year in analyzing the new test and adapting our program to its unique challenges. Since 2016, we have taught the new test, while revising our curriculum to keep up with its trends. Here are some of our findings.

Why was the test redesigned?

Align more closely with Common Core standards and what is being taught in school

Better compete with the ACT exam
Update test materials to include more American foundational documents and information about technology, including computer science

How hard is the new test compared to the old one?

In short, it’s easier. Here are some major changes:

The math isn’t as advanced. It is more related to algebra, more like what students learn in high school, and more emphasis is added to basic statistics and graph-reading, at which most students are intuitively good
There is more of an emphasis on higher order thinking skills. They’ve started asking more “Why” questions, on all sections
The Writing section is almost identical to the English section on the ACT exam
The Reading section is still the toughest for many kids, as it relies on students’ reading comprehension skills. However, the questions themselves are worded more simply and a lot of the difficult vocabulary was removed from the answer choices

How is the new test different from the old test?

Vocabulary is no longer tested explicitly
Reading includes at least one “foundational document” — e.g. a document written by a Founding Father — and is more focused on identifying evidence for claims
The Writing section has shifted from an emphasis on 16 specific rules to more common “school”-related concepts like uses of the comma and identifying pronouns and their antecedents
Math now has two sections - with and without calculator
Like the old test, the new test has an essay – but this time it’s optional, and 50 minutes instead of 25
The new test is scored out of 1600 points, while the old test is scored out of 2400 points
The old test had nine sections. The new test has only four, plus an optional fifth Essay section:
- Reading comprehension
- Writing (including composition and grammar)
- Math - No Calculator
- Math - Calculator

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Which is harder: the new SAT® exam or the ACT exam?

As the SAT® exam was redesigned, the focus was on making it more competitive with the ACT. Now, there are a lot of overlaps between the tests, but we at SSA believe the SAT® exam is overall easier for most students. Here are some reasons why:

The SAT® Reading section now has no dedicated vocabulary section

SAT® Writing and Math sections are more closely tailored to what students learn in school
The SAT® Writing tests more practical applications of writing concepts
The SAT® Math sections have less geometry
The SAT® Math sections test fewer concepts overall

Why did SSA choose to keep teaching the SAT® instead of switching to the ACT exam?

For Socratic Summer Academy, sticking with the SAT® exam was a really solid choice. We spent about three months considering which test to teach, truly weighing both sides and investigating both what used to be true and what is now true about the tests, as well as what we know about students' aptitudes and where they traditionally have difficulties.

In short: