In light of the news that the SAT might be changing, instead of continuing my discussion of SAT readers, I would like to discuss the potential changes to the SAT and what these might mean for test prep.
What if the College Board changes the structure of the SAT?
A common shift that standardized tests have made in recent years is from a paper based examination to a computer based test. Should the SAT follow the path of the GMAT, GRE or MCAT, this change could greatly affect the way students, and those who prepare those students, work with this test. There are two ways that the test could change to a computer based test.
1. Computer Adaptive Test (CAT)
The CAT format is one where students are not giving a section to complete, but are given questions one at a time. Whether the student answers the question correctly or incorrectly determines the next question the student receives. If the student gets the answer correct, his or her score goes up and the question gets harder. If the student gets the question incorrect, his or her score goes down and the question gets easier. From a test prep standpoint, this would completely change the way students approach the SAT.
Skipping: current wisdom holds that when a student comes across a question they cannot solve immediately, they should skip that question and come back to it at the end. However, in a computer adaptive test, there is no room for skipping questions. This means students must have an ability to quickly answer ANY question they see on the test. What this means for test prep is that no longer can tutors “pick and choose” which topics students should spend their time mastering. An increase in the amount of hours of preparation spent by students will likely be required.
Challenging questions: in the current SAT structure, questions start easier and become more challenging throughout the section. Students often use this to their advantage, knowing that a question at the end of the section should have a “trick” involved, whereas questions early on should be as easy as they seem. However with question difficulty not determined by order, but by accuracy, students will be forced to evaluate each question completely on its own. During preparation for this exam, students will need to work with a trained tutor to identify key words and concepts that indicate a question is challenging, instead of just relying on the order in which the question appears.
2. Computer based
Another potential change students could see would be for the SAT to become a computer based test, but to keep its current structure and format, much like the MCAT. While this change would not be as drastic as the CAT structure, taking an examination on a computer is very different from taking one on paper and requires completely different preparation.
Highlight and marking passages: should the SAT become a computer based exam, students will no longer be able to mark-up passages the way they are trained to do by tutors and test prep classes. Instead, students will need to learn the skills associated with mapping out the structure and summarizing the argument of a passage separate from the actual text.
Skill in recreating shapes: a common topic covered in test prep for students taking the GRE, GMAT or other computer based tests that include testing in math is skill in quickly drawing and recreating diagrams and shapes. Students who currently take the SAT are used to being able to mark up and fill in the diagrams or shapes given in questions. However should the test shift to a computer based exam, students will have to learn how to transcribe information from the screen in a usable way onto paper. This can be very challenging for many students, especially considering the fact that this must be one quickly. Tutors who have experience working with preparing students for the GRE or the GMAT will undoubtedly be in higher demand should the SAT become a computer based test.
