![The College Board will begin testing with the new SAT starting on March 5, 2016. [College Board]](http://www.jstudentboard.com/reporter/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/SAT.jpg)
The SAT will change back to the 400-1600 point scoring scale that was in use until it the adoption of the 600-2400 scoring scale in 2005. It will now include four, rather than three, sections: reading, writing, mathematics, and an optional essay section. The reading and writing portions will be scored together out of 800 points and the math section alone will be 800 points, combining for a total of 1600. The essay will be scored separately, using a scale from two to eight. Questions will now have four answer choices instead of five, and there will be no penalties for guessing.
Students have varied opinions about the changes.
Edwin Lee, a junior in Crescenta Valley High School (CVHS), told JSR, “I looked at some of the released practice questions online and they seemed easier than the current SAT. I think more people will take the SAT now.”
Ha Lin Kim, also a junior at CVHS, had a different take on the changes made to the SAT and told JSR, “I think the original purpose of changing the format was to make it easier for students. However, it seems like some of the questions on the new SAT have become much harder than before – especially in the math section.”
She continued, “Because the SAT is changing in the middle of the school year, I think juniors, including myself, will have to choose between the old and the new SAT.”
The College Board will continue to test the old SAT until March 5,2016 before it changes to the newly redesigned SAT. High school juniors are having a particularly hard time choosing which version of the SAT they will take since the version of the test may impact their performance.
