In the Spring of 2014, the College Board announced that it would be redesigning the SAT in order to align more closely to the work encountered by high school students in the classroom. Effective March 2016, the new 1600-point SAT will emphasize the use of evidence to support answers, will move away from testing obscure vocabulary to testing vocabulary relevant in the real world, and will focus on fewer areas in mathematics.
In essence, the new SAT will be aligned with the Common Core standards, and aims to measure the knowledge and skills that matter most for college readiness and success. The College Board asserts that the new exam will be more straightforward, and that the significant changes – including a new scoring system that does not penalize for incorrect answers, a no-calculator mathematics section, and an optional essay that requires students to analyze persuasive elements within a passage – will reward productive use of classroom time and a focus on demanding coursework.
| Category | Old SAT | New SAT |
|---|---|---|
| Testing Time | 3 hours and 45 minutes | 3 hours(plus 50 minutes for optional essay) |
| Components | Mathematics Critical Reading Writing (Essay) |
Mathematics Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (Reading Test, Writing and Language Test) Essay (Optional) |
| Essay | Required and counts toward Writing score 25 minutes allotted Students take position on given issue |
Optional and scored separately 50 minutes allotted Students provide analysis of a given source text |
| Scoring System | +1 point for Correct Answers +0 for Omitted Answers -0.25 points for Incorrect Answers |
No penalty for incorrect answers (no deductions for guessing) |
| Score Reporting | Total score range from 600 to 2400 Section-specific scores (Mathematics, Critical Reading, Writing) range from 200 to 800 |
Total scores range from 400 to 1600 Section-specific scores (Mathematics, Evidence-Based Reading and Writing) range from 200 to 800 |