Revamped SAT raises questions, takes more time

The high school class of 2006 will face a new challenge before entering the world of higher education.

The New York-based College Board is implementing changes to its national exam, the SAT.

The College Board, which is also responsible for the PSAT and Advanced Placement testing, is revising the SAT to include a section dealing with writing. The new section will change test scoring to a 2400-point scale and will last 45 minutes longer than the current version.

The College Board Web site states that the SAT is changing so that the test is "more closely aligned with what students are learning in high school and in college."

Kristin Carnahan, spokeswoman for the College Board, said, "The current SAT is an excellent predictor of college success, and with the addition of the writing section, admissions officers will have more information to base their decisions on."

But some college officials are wary of the new SAT and what exactly the results will predict.

"We are being cautious about the new SAT," said Steve Farmer, director of undergraduate admissions at UNC.

"We want to understand the test; we want to understand what it will predict on this campus. The new SAT will, more than likely, not be heavily used (in the application process) in the first year or two."

Along with the addition of the writing section, the math and verbal sections in the current SAT will be revised.

In the math section, quantitative comparisons, or the comparison of two mathematical equations, will be eliminated, and questions covering Algebra II will be added.

The name of the verbal section will change to critical reading, and there will be no analogy questions.

In the new writing section, there will be multiple choice questions about the revision of sentences and paragraphs, along with an essay testing a student's ability to clearly communicate a position on an issue.

This is not the first time the test has been changed. The most recent changes to its content were implemented in 1994, when antonym questions were eliminated from the verbal section, open-ended math questions were added and calculators were allowed.

Farmer said the University considers several factors -- not just standardized testing -- during the application process.

"The revised SAT is a new tool, but not necessarily a revolutionary tool," Farmer said. "It matters that students can write, and we have based that on the essays from the application and grades from high school classes."

Carnahan noted that admissions officers will be able to review a student's essays from the new SAT during the application process.

The College Board will begin administering the test in March 2005. It will be required for application to most colleges beginning in Fall 2006.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.