(The Free Press Journal publishes articles by study abroad consultants, Consulates, foreign universities, international students, and much more every Saturday to give its readers a glimpse of the world of overseas education.)
Ah, the dreaded standardised tests! Why are they important again? Shouldn’t school grades suffice? And what exactly is the difference between the two?
Approximately, accounting for 30% of the U.S. college admissions criteria, standardised tests help colleges establish parity between students applying from different countries, boards, and across various streams of education. While you may hear mentions of US colleges going test-optional since the pandemic, putting the choice on the student to submit test scores or not, on average 60-70% of admits to the top 50 US universities did submit test scores on their application. Hence, to submit a competitive application, you should definitely plan on taking the SAT.
SAT scores also help show the cognitive ability and college readiness of the students. It also helps enhance support for your college application. For instance, during the 11th grade, if you struggled with a few subjects leading to a low GPA, standardised tests like SAT help redeem yourself in your applications.
Lastly, the SAT also helps in examining your problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Preparing for the SAT will help you hone these skills which will benefit you not only during college but also in life.
SAT’s going Digital?
In 2022, College Board announced that SAT will be transitioning from a paper-pencil format to a digital format from 2023 (internationally, in the US this will roll out in 2024). In November 2021, the College Board conducted a pilot version of the digital SAT. Their pilot program across schools internationally showed it to be 80% less stressful than the paper-pencil exam. Educators also agreed to its ease of administering.
What's the difference?
With major parts of the test remaining the same, there are significant changes in the way students attempt the test.
Major differences in Digital SAT |
What stays the same?
How students study for the test
The content
How students are scored
How colleges will use the score
Advantages of the Digital SAT
Adaptive nature that adjusts to determine student’s overall level
Greater flexibility and security
Increased availability to a large number of students
Students are able to flag questions and revisit them later
Radhika Nihalani Bajaj
The Game Changer - Adaptive Nature
The adaptive nature of the SAT is perhaps the most dramatic change ahead is the adaptive testing model the new exam will follow.
For most high school students, the digital SAT will be the first adaptive test they'll take and will require them to adjust their usual test-taking strategies. The Adaptive Nature of the SAT calibrates the students level of performance in the moment to quickly zero in on a score. The College Board will continue to assign a score out of 1600 - despite shortening the exam duration along with lesser questions.
Here’s how it will work:
Each section will be split into two modules - the diagnostic module to gauge your level and the easier/harder module in the second half depending on your performance in the first.
Your performance in module 1 will determine the difficulty level in module 2. If you perform well, you’ll see the harder questions.
On the downside, this could be seen as a challenge for students who need time to warm up and find their groove in the beginning. But on the positives, these aren't new challenges and will be easily adaptable. Students will just need to re-strategise their studying tactics. Moving forward, practice tests will be important opportunities for students to become comfortable with the adaptive, two-module format.
Conclusion
Standardized testing continues to remain ever-important in the US college undergraduate admissions process. Change and iterations have always been part of the process for these tests that evolve and adapt to the time and the needs of students. The change has been a long-time coming for the SAT and College Board has effectively absorbed feedback from test takers and data from the past few years - the result is a shorter, easier, more student-friendly, leading to more test-takers and submitters overall. Win-win-win.
The author is a graduate in Marketing and Management from NYU Stern, and Senior Manager, OnCourse Vantage Pvt Ltd.
