The new, or “redesigned,” SAT, which will debut in March 2016, is a radical departure from the current version of the exam. While the new test shares some features with the current one, its overall emphasis has changed. The result is an exam that, at least for many test takers, will be both easier and more readily “learnable” than the current version. Without question, the overall difficulty level of the exam has dropped.

Why is the exam getting easier? To answer that question, consider why the SAT is changing—and only ten years after the exam underwent a major overhaul back in 2005. A major reason is competitive pressure from the SAT’s rival test, the ACT, which has been gaining tremendous ground on the SAT in recent years. Since all colleges began accepting the SAT and ACT equally some years ago, the number of ACT takers has risen dramatically. In fact, in 2012 the number of students taking the ACT actually surpassed the number of students taking the SAT. Since then, the ACT has only continued its ascent while the SAT has declined in popularity.

One reason why the ACT has been so successful is that many students find it an easier alternative to the SAT. The ACT is shorter than the SAT, clocking in at only 2 hours 55 minutes without the optional essay or 3 hours and 25 minutes with the essay, compared to 3 hours 45 minutes for the current SAT. The ACT is broken up into four distinct sections, whereas the current SAT contains no fewer than 10 sections, with multiple sections for each subject (math, critical reading, writing). The current SAT requires all students to write the essay, whereas the ACT has made the essay optional. The ACT only presents four possible choices for each question instead of the SAT’s five, and it does not dock points for incorrect answers like the SAT does. Questions on the ACT also tend to be less difficult, requiring much less in the way of critical reasoning than do SAT questions, some of which can be very difficult. Lastly, the ACT does not test vocabulary, unlike the vocabulary-dense SAT.

While some students still find that they perform better on the current SAT than the ACT, it’s no surprise that, given these differences, a majority of students have been opting for the ACT of late.

What does the SAT overhaul have to do with the ACT, you ask? Well, the new SAT replicates nearly all those features of the ACT that make it a more appealing, and in many ways easier, exam than the SAT. In seeking to halt its declining popularity and regain market share, the SAT has made a more user-friendly exam.

Easier Questions

The questions on the new SAT are, like the questions on the ACT, simply easier. When it comes to math, the test makers have mostly abandoned the puzzle-like brainteasers that require creative critical thinking. The new questions are much more straightforward and focused on testing mastery of content rather than reasoning ability. The only downside is that you’ll now be required to know more math for the exam than you did previously. There are more topics on the test from Algebra II, for example, as well as some trigonometry. Once you learn that content, however, the math will be much easier to master, given the lack of puzzling brainteasers and hidden tricks.

The critical reading section has also become notably easier. There are practically no difficult or advanced vocabulary words anywhere on this section, let alone vocabulary questions proper. The SAT has claimed to be moving from “tier three,” or advanced vocabulary words, to commonly-used “tier two” words, but the vast majority of students will have no trouble with these new words. One of the most challenging features of the current SAT is its pervasive use of advanced vocabulary—on vocabulary questions, within reading passages, and in reading comprehension questions and answer choices themselves. Difficult vocabulary has now completely vanished from the test.

Questions on the new critical reading section, much like the new math questions, are also easier. Whereas current reading questions require serious critical thinking to identify subtle distinctions between two seemingly valid answer choices, answers on the new section are much more straight-forward and easily identifiable. Questions are still somewhat more difficult than ACT reading questions, but less difficult than the reading questions on the current SAT.

The “writing and language” section of the new SAT, which replaces the writing section of the current test, is also much easier. Rather than having to compare multiple, lengthy grammatical constructions, you now only have to look at four short alternatives to one small portion of a sentence. While the same rules are being tested as before, the way in which they are tested has become much easier. This section now looks nearly identical to the ACT’s English section.

An Optional, More Predictable Essay

The new essay has now been made optional, which will no doubt encourage more people to take the SAT. That said, because a number of colleges either recommend or require the essay, if you are taking the SAT then I would strongly encourage you take the essay in order to broaden your college options.

For those taking the essay, the College Board has create a much more predictable assignment than the current essay or the ACT essay. The new essay asks you to analyze a given passage, rather than construct an argument on a random topic on the spot. You’re also given more time to write (50 minutes) than you are on the current version (25 minutes) or on the ACT (40 minutes). No doubt many students will find this easier than the current essay. The College Board even boasts on their website that the new essay will be much easier than essays requiring you to construct an argument on a random topic within a short time period—a clear jab at the ACT.

Friendlier Structure

The structure of the exam as a whole has also become more user-friendly, once again following in the footsteps of the ACT. There are now only four sections, rather than the current 10. There is also much more time granted per question on the reading and math sections—an extra 13 seconds on each reading question and an extra 5 seconds on each math question. Writing questions now allow for less time, but this is only because the format has changed and the questions themselves require much less time. When you factor in the more limited number of answer choices per question on all sections (four instead of five), this also translates into more time per question, not to mention fewer distractions and traps.

Scoring

What will all this mean for scoring? It’s unfortunately difficult to say just yet. The scoring tables that College Board has released so far don’t indicate any major changes in the curve, so an easier test won’t necessarily equate to a harder curve. That said, College Board is still working out scoring details and won’t be ready to provide official scores until after two administrations of the exam next spring. If everyone who takes the exam in the spring does very well, you might see a tougher curve than you do on the current scoring tables.

What Does This Mean For Me?

If you’re in the class of 2017, there’s still not enough quality prep material out there to warrant studying for the new exam just yet. Focus on the current SAT or the ACT for now, but given these changes, consider the possibility of studying for and taking the new SAT once more material has been released and College Board has worked out all the kinks of the new exam, probably sometime late next spring or early summer.

If you’re in the class of 2018 or above, these changes should make the SAT an easier, friendlier, and more learnable test than the existing one!

As the new (aka “redesigned”) SAT nears, College Board has begun to release official practice tests for the exam. While it’s not yet clear how accurately these tests will reflect the new exam, how you would score them or what your scores would mean, they are still your most important asset if you are preparing for the new exam now.

As I’ve written before, I don’t advise preparing for the new SAT until it’s been officially administered a few times in 2016. Nevertheless, if you’ve decided that you will be preparing for the new test now, here is where you can find every released practice test.

Remember to take each test timed and review missed questions carefully before moving on to a new test. Keep a record of the questions you’ve missed and how to solve them so that you can go back and review them over time.

The first four official tests are available, along with additional questions and advice, in the new Official SAT Study Guide 2016 Edition.

You can also find these four tests online for free, however. They’re available here with answer explanations, although these explanations are often less than optimal.

There is also a fifth exam—this one is technically a redesigned PSAT, but it’s nearly identical to the new SAT. The only difference is that it’s a little shorter. You can find it here.

The College Board has promised to release another four tests as 2015 moves along. Whether or not they actually release any more remains to be seen, but I will update this information and let you know right away if they do.

Only ten years after the SAT underwent a major overhaul, the test is once again in the process of being remade. Starting next spring, you’ll no longer have the option of taking the current SAT. Instead, you’ll face an SAT that looks much more like the ACT, the rival college entrance exam that has been taking market share away from the SAT in recent years.

If you’re in the class of 2017 you will have three testing options: take the current SAT while it’s still being offered, take the new SAT beginning in the spring of 2016, or skip the SAT entirely and take the ACT instead.

My advice is to steer clear of the new SAT, at least for now. Given how important these exams are in the college admissions process, it’s essential to be be adequately prepared for them. Unfortunately, however, there is no way at present to ensure that anyone will be adequately prepared for the new exam.

The main problem is that there is simply not enough practice material out there to provide us with a good sense of the test. The College Board has released four practice tests and says that they plan to release four more this year, although how many they’ll ultimately release remains to be seen. At the same time, the College Board is in an ongoing process of reevaluating and reshaping the new exam. Just how accurate a reflection of the redesigned exam these practice tests will be is unclear.

Even if we assume that the new practice materials will be a perfect reflection of the new exam, there is no way to adequately gauge where anyone is scoring on them. Scoring tables are currently being worked out, and tentative tables will not be available until later this summer. How well these tables will reflect official scoring practices is unclear, however. When the first students sit for the new test next March, they won’t be able to receive any scores until results from the March and May test dates have been analyzed.

Even if you were able to receive accurate scoring feedback from practice tests, it’s not yet clear what any particular score would mean. The College Board plans on releasing a concordance table that will compare new SAT scores to old ones, but this won’t happen until after the test has been officially administered more than once. Imagine how frustrating it would be to spend months preparing for a test without ever knowing how well you’re really doing!

Instead of preparing for the new SAT, should plan on taking either the ACT or the current version of the SAT while it’s still available. Fortunately, there are vast amounts of quality prep materials available for both of these exams. For the current version of the SAT, for example, there are over 20 official practice tests publicly available. Thanks to these accurate materials, we have a thorough and powerful understanding of these exams.

If you decide to take the current version of the SAT instead of the ACT, make sure to start prep early. Your last chance to take the current version will most likely be in January, so you’ll want to do as much prep as possible before then. Take advantage of the extra time you’ll have this summer to prepare.

Should you decide that you want to also try the new SAT in 2016, the prep you will have done for the current SAT or ACT will help you on the new test. The new SAT draws heavily on both the ACT and the current SAT, so much of your prep work will be directly applicable. But for now, at least until the exam has been administered a few times, steer clear!