Students Reflect on New SAT

By Esther Kardos
Reporter
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Spring is soon to arrive, and with it, a season for change. It’ a time for things to shift from one mode to another, just as it’s a time for us to adjust accordingly. Generally, change is seen as a positive, yet, on other occasions, it’s quite the opposite. And according to the general response to the new SAT model that began in March, this recent development in the test format might just fit into that latter category of changes. After all, while no guessing penalty and a shorter required testing time may seem inviting, such is not completely the case according to actual students who have participated in it.
 
According to Bhavana Ambadipudi, a freshman who recently took the PSAT version of the new test, the revised version is “long and aggravating, to the point where I was pretty much done.” She added that she “felt like the old SAT would have been better since it was so much shorter and less concentrated on critical thinking and analysis,” and with this thought, Bhavana is not alone.
 
According to a survey done by The New York Times, over 30% of students thought the new test was more difficult and more complicated than expected, and 53% felt it did not properly reflect what they learned in school. These results are, on average, at least ten percent higher than the old SAT’s exit polling results, which then prompts one question only – is it truly wise for us to make such a change to the SAT test, especially when it’s only going to cause more difficulties and perhaps unsuccessful attempts in the long run? In either case, I encourage Council Rock students to purchase learning materials specific to this new test and study up because as it seems, doing well on this new test may be harder than ever before. 

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