If you have a college-bound teen, test prep is at the front of you mind. And with it, comes the new (and improved—according to the College Board) SAT. Most test prep experts are hesitant about the new test, taking a “wait and see” attitude. Others are recommending students take the ACT instead, reducing the stress level and avoiding the unknown.
In an effort to ease your mind (and your student’s), I thought I would gather some expert advice from the test prep gurus to help you answer some questions about the new SAT.
Lauren Gaggioli of Higher Scores Test Prep wrote an article for TeenLife Magazine about the new SAT. In it, she points out that the only information we have about the new test is the information provided by the College Board. No one has been able to take the test yet, therefore its content is still sketchy at best. But she does address some of the false information circulating about the test.
Read her article: Five Myths About the New SAT
Akil Bello, a noted test prep tutor and founder of Bell Curves, addresses the new SAT in his blog, Bellowings. He asks the question: how hard is it? In his post he concentrates on the math portion of the test and compares the two tests resulting in a conclusion about the new test’s ability to indicate “college readiness”.
Read Akil’s article: New SAT—How Hard is It?
Lynn O’Shaughnessy, author of The College Solution blog and several books about college prep, believes that the new SAT is going to cause great challenges for students. Her guest blogger, Jed Applerouth of Applerouth Tutoring Services, points out the increased difficulty in the reading and writing section, the so-called “optional” essay, and the calculator free math section. According to Jed Applerouth, this will be the “hardest SAT we have ever seen.”
Read the entire post: Why You Should Worry About the New SAT Test
The bottom line: Nobody likes change. Although the College Board is telling us that the new test is going to be easier for students, the new test is also going to give college’s a better picture of a student’s college readiness. What does that mean for students? Only time will tell. In the meantime, follow the experts’ advice—stick to the ACT.
If you want to see a comparison of the new SAT vs the ACT, click here to see an infographic from Alexis Avila of Prepped and Polished.
And on that note, read yesterday’s post: Should You Hire a Test Prep Tutor