Deciding which university entrance exam to take used to be simple: Where you lived was the main determining factor whether to take the SAT or ACT. Nowadays, students all over take either or both exams.
With the launch of the new SAT in March (in the United States and in May in Canada), students will be asking even more questions, as the changes are dramatic, starting with a return to a total score of 1600, the same total before the switch to 2400 in 2005. The new exam also has adopted some elements of the ACT, eliminating the so-called “guessing penalty,” having four sections, putting grammar questions in paragraph format, and making the essay optional. Furthermore, sentence completion questions are gone, along with many but not all difficult vocabulary words. Students will have slightly more time for each question, but one math section forbids the use of a calculator.
Universities remain test neutral. Princeton university spokesman Martin Mbugua said: “Students may submit whichever test they choose, or both.” Stanford university spokeswoman Lisa Lapin said: “We accept either test on equal footing.”
The SAT had long been the most popular university-entrance exam. However, in 2012 more students took the ACT than took the SAT. Some of the changes to the SAT may have brought attention that there is an alternative, said ACT spokesman Ed Colby. In fact, at the last major overhaul for the SAT, in 2005, 40 percent of graduates took the ACT, a figure that grew to 59 percent this year.
The ACT has garnered a great deal of interest in the Vancouver area in the last year, but few test preparation companies were prepared for the challenge. Your Score Booster’s tutors and instructors are well-trained in the ACT’s curricular material as well as tips and tricks. The company offers one-on-one tutoring and classes (in-person or online), workbooks, customized quizzes and thousands of video solutions for both the SAT and ACT.
Your Score Booster has been getting many more students seeking preparation for the ACT. So far, people are keeping a wait-and-see attitude about the new SAT, at least the March exam. In interviews with dozens counselors and educational consultants at National Association for College Admissions Counseling and in subsequent telephone interviews with other experts, Your Score Booster found no one who recommended taking the March SAT.
Furthermore, the scores for the March exam and concordance tables equating scores to the old SAT scores won’t be released until May.
此外,3月的测试成绩和其相应的旧SAT得分成绩等分表要在五月份才发布。
Eric J. Furda, dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, said the university accepts both the old and new SAT and the ACT equally. But he said students’ familiarity with the ACT would likely attract students to it in the near term.
宾夕法尼亚大学招生主任Eric J. Furda表示,他们会以平等的态度对待新旧SAT、ACT测试 。但他表示,近阶段学生们更为熟悉的ACT测试将更加热门 。
“I do think that during this transition you're going to see more students taking the ACT, which has already been on the rise,” he said. “Without getting caught up in the politics of it, I think that's going to be common-sense behavior” to take an exam that’s more familiar.
Test-preparation experts also note that College Board has released only four practice exams for the new SAT, while many more previously administered ACT exams are available.
But Cyndie Schmeiser, chief of assessment at College Board, which owns the SAT, said advising against taking the March SAT is “fear-based advice, which is not in the best interest of students…. We've done a lot of research to make sure that starting in March and moving forward that our tests are reflecting the best science in testing."
Some are still undecided about future SAT exams. "With the new SAT, I'm going to have to wait and see,” said Dr. Whitney Laughlin, an educational consultant based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Victoria, British Columbia. "I think that's how a lot of people feel."
Others may recommend the new SAT – after the March exam – to some students. Sean Hawes, an educational consultant in Bellingham Washington, said the elimination of difficult vocabulary and extra time may be a draw for some students. Hawes also noted the SAT is required for students who apply for a National Merit Scholarship, sponsored by College Board.
"Some students may eventually like the SAT better,” Hawes said. “The SAT may bounce back."
“最后可能有一些学生更倾向于SAT。” Hawes表示,“SAT可能会重新恢复往日的风采。”
However, the new SAT has infused reading throughout every section, even writing, math – word problems dominate the math section -- and the essay. The text also has become more complex, so it could be more difficult for students who speak English as a Second Language.