SAT
The SAT has recently undergone some of the biggest changes in its history, leading to a new digital test (dSAT) which will be first available for international students from March 2023. Overall, the test aims to be more practical and relevant to skills that students learn in school. The changes to the test are more in terms of specific test delivery, format, and scoring rather than actual content. A student who did well on the old format SAT will do just fine on the dSAT.
Test Delivery:
After registering for the test on the College Board website, students will need to download the new College Board Blue Book App onto their laptops. This app has practice materials for the test and requires an internet connection to function properly and will contain the file for the actual real test. On test day, students will bring their fully charged laptops to the test center. After a code is entered into the app, the rest of the computer’s functions will be effectively disabled and the students will take the test off their computer screen. The digital nature of the test means that the test questions should be a bit different for every student, making cheating much more difficult. Upon completion of the test, the app will unlock the rest of the computer and students should get their scores in less than a week. Digital testing also means no more shipping answer sheets around the world in locked boxes.
Format & Scoring:
The SAT has 4 sections:
Reading and Writing (baseline module) - 32 min, 27 questions
Reading and Writing (Easier or Harder module) - 32 min, 27 questions
Math (baseline module) - 35 min, 22 questions
Math (Easier or Harder module) - 35 min, 22 questions
The reading and writing section are combined and graded on a scale of 200 to 800, and the same goes for the two combined math sections. The highest combined score one could get is once again a 1600. The test is a bit under 2.5 hours long with a break between sections 2 and 3. This is much shorter than the old test that was well over 3 hours in total testing time with bubbling and breaks included. However, there is much more time per question - 71 seconds per question on Reading and Writing and 95.5 seconds per question on the Math.
Students will be given scratch paper and be allowed to write things out. Students will also be able to skip from one question to the next in each module and flag items in the dashboard. The App will allow students to highlight and annotate text and there is also a timer that can be turned on or off.
A student’s performance on the first baseline modules determines which second adaptive module they will be presented. In order to get a harder module, and a higher score, a student needs to get about 75% of the baseline module questions correct. Then the second adaptive module will be harder questions and allow students to challenge for a perfect 800. If a student gets less than 75% of the baseline module correct then he or she will get an easier adaptive module next. The questions will indeed be easier, but the maximum score for the this route is only about 650. Here is a rough flow chart below for the Math half - the Reading/Writing is very similar, just with more questions.
It is a bit of a “black box” in terms of how much each question is really worth in terms of specific point values, but it is clear that doing well on the first of the two section pairs is of critical importance to establishing a higher minimum score for the second adaptive section. Suffice it to say that more questions correct, the higher the score. More details to come.
Reading & Writing
There are four categories of questions tested in this half of the test in roughly equal number. The questions in each module are always in the same order or appearance, making familiarity with the format and timing strategies key to high scores. All questions refer to just one passage which range in content from modern science to 18th century prose to poetry.
Craft & Structure - Words in Context
Information & Ideas - Structure & Purpose, Central Ideas & Details, and Inference
Standard English Conventions - Grammar
Expression of Ideas - Connectors and Rhetorical Synthesis
Mathematics
The digital DESMOS calculator is embedded in the App, or students can use their own device on the entire test.
Content tested ranges from basic arithmetic through algebra, geometry, and up to basic precalculus.
There are fewer wordy word problems with more of an emphasis on straight math.
Students who can’t graph a line or parabola manually will have the calculator to fall back on, but will be quicker without.
Most questions are multiple choice but there are still a fair number of free response answers.
In Summary…
Students who excel in regular school, read Jane Austin for fun, and go to math club will do very well on the dSAT. Understanding the test format, question order, and best approaches to each question will help all students improve. Our test prep programs focus on these core areas and are very effective. For more commentary on test format, and the challenges that it presents, see the video below.
SSAT
Visit the SSATB website for further details.
The test is offered 8 times a year internationally and is required for admission to boarding schools and other independent secondary schools worldwide. It is designed for students currently studying in grades 3-11 and has 3 levels of difficulty (Elementary, Middle, Upper). It measures verbal, quantitative and reading skills with an emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving.
Note: Calculators are not allowed during the test.
Scoring
Scaled Score
The scaled score is the result of applying the Raw Score to an algorithm and is scored on a bell curve. It also adjusts for difficulty level differences from test to test, so that a particular score is consistent over time (the score value remains the same no matter when it was taken. For the Upper level SSAT, the Scaled Score ranges from 500-800 per section (Verbal, Quantitative, Reading), with a mean score of 650.
Personal Score Range
Indicates variations to your score if you decided to take the test multiple times within a short time period (a few months, for example).
Percentile Rank
Ranked 1-99, the SSAT reports percentile ranks compared to those who have taken the SSAT for the first time within the 3 years prior to a particular test year (For example: a test taken in 2013 will report a percentile rank compared with those from tests taken from 2010-2012).
We are available for SSAT tutoring and work with many students every year. That said, the SSAT is a terrible metric with scoring that is far from consistent or accurate. Sadly, it is all we have and we have spent years finding ways to improve scores.
ACT
Visit the ACT website for additional details and registration.
The ACT tests the following subject areas:
English
Mathematics
Reading
Science
Note: There is also an ACT Plus Writing test that includes a 40-minute essay. While all schools will accept the ACT, there are some schools that will require the ACT Plus Writing version. Be sure to check for the ACT requirements for each school that you are considering.
The ACT is available outside the US 5 times a year: September, October, December, April, and June.
Note that the ACT will be changing format to a Computer Based Test from the 2018-2019 academic year. We have serious reservations about the ACT's ability to administer the test and there is scant information available on how this transition will take place. As such, we would strongly urge students to take the SAT instead at least in the short term.
The ACT is a multiple-choice test (215 questions) and, including breaks, will take 3.5 hours to complete (about 4 hours for the ACT Plus Writing).
English
A 45-minute long test with 75 questions in all. The test focuses on:
Usage & Mechanics: punctuation, grammar and usage, sentence structure;
Rhetorical Skills: strategy, organization, style.
Mathematics
60-minutes long with 60 questions total. It covers the following 6 areas:
Arithmetic (~14 questions)
Basic Algebra (~10 questions)
Intermediate Algebra (9 questions)
Coordinate Geometry (9 questions)
Plane Geometry (~14 questions)
Trigonometry (~4 questions)
Note: Calculators are allowed for the test, but certain models are banned (TI-89, TI-92, calculators with computer algebra systems (CAS) like the TI-Inspire CAS).
Reading
35-minute, 40-question test on passage reading comprehension. There are 4 sections, each containing 1 long and 2 short passages. The passages focus on the following:
Social Studies
Natural Sciences
Literature
Humanities
Science
35-minute, 40-question test. The content includes biology, chemistry, physics and Earth sciences (including Astronomy). The test focuses less on science knowledge and more on reasoning, interpretation, evaluation and problem solving. Calculators are not allowed.
Writing (Optional. See above for details.)
A 40-minute essay in which students present and defend a point of view on a selected topic. Students can adopt 1 of the 3 points of view presented in the prompt or present their own.
