Jul 5, 2008

SAT Prep | The New SAT At-A-Glance

Total testing time: 3 hours, 45 minutes

MATHEMATICS CRITICAL READING* WRITING* SCORING

– 70 minutes (down from 75)

– Features two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section. Includes Algebra II.

– Includes multiple choice questions and student-produced responses (which you may know as grid-ins).

– No more Quantitative Comparison!

– 70 minutes (down from 75)

– Features two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section.

– Includes short reading passages added to the SAT’s traditional paragraph-length passages.

– No more Analogies!

* Formerly called Verbal

– 60 minutes

– 25 minutes allotted to analyze and respond to an assigned topic in essay form.

– Your essay will be graded on a six-point scale similar to the old SAT II Writing Subject Test grading system.

– 35 minutes allotted for multiple-choice items testing grammar and usage.

* Brand-new section!

– Top score is 2400. Stick with REA and eNotes and we’ll show you how to rake in the points by mastering the SAT’s content and format.

THE NEW SAT: WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

The introduction of the New SAT in March 2005 stands as one of the most publicized events in college-admission testing. By now you may have seen or heard any number of talking heads on television and radio, or perhaps you read some of the countless articles in newspapers or webzines. A lot of people seem to have a lot to say about the SAT. Millions have taken the SAT and millions more will do so in the future, but right now you care about the SAT only at the point where it intersects with you. So let’s get down to business.

The New SAT notably differs from its previous version in that ETS has added a third component, the all-new Writing section. Whether you consider yourself a good writer or not, there’s no time like the present to learn to do it better. By adding this section, ETS is really doing you a big favor! If you’re not getting your message across now, just picture how much worse it will be down the line when you lose a promotion at work to someone who can!

Each of the three test sections is scored using a 200–800 scale, making 2400 the highest score possible. You will also receive subscores on the multiple-choice and Essay portions of the Writing section. The total testing time is 3 hours and 45 minutes.

The Essay section asks you to take a position on an issue and support it with examples from your studies and experience. The question is designed to be open-ended so you can successfully write your Essay in many different ways. You are not required to have any prior specific knowledge about the topic to write your Essay. The Writing section also includes multiple-choice questions that test your ability to identify errors in sentences, improve sentences, and improve paragraphs. You are allotted 60 minutes to complete the Writing sections.

The Critical Reading (formerly known as Verbal) portions of the revised SAT still focuses on vocabulary skills, though perhaps less obviously. Quite simply, a solid vocabulary remains a bedrock requirement for good across-the-board performance on the Critical Reading sections. Other questions test your ability to read at a strong pace while grasping a solid understanding of the material. Analogies have been eliminated from the New SAT. The time allotted for these sections is 70 minutes.

Math on the SAT has changed significantly with the revised test. Algebra II is now part of the SAT’s traditional roster of Algebra I, Arithmetic, and Geometry problems. You will be spared Quantitative Comparisons, as that section was dropped from the test. The Student-Produced Response format remains the same and still offers the same degree of flexibility when answering questions. As with Critical Reading, the time allotted for the Math sections is 70 minutes.