Press Releases

The College Board Announces a New SAT^®

06/27/02

NEW YORK, NY -- The Trustees of the College Board today unanimously voted to develop a new SAT I. The changes, announced by College Board President Gaston Caperton, follow extensive consultation with College Board members, including university presidents, admissions directors, high school guidance counselors, and teachers. The first administration of the new SAT I will take place in March of 2005. Until then, the current test will be used.

"The current SAT I is the most rigorously and well-researched test in the world, and the new SAT I will only improve the test's current strengths by placing the highest possible emphasis on the most important college success skills - reading and mathematics, and, now, writing," Caperton said.

According to Caperton, the new SAT I will remain a test of developed reasoning and thinking skills, as it has been for 76 years. The new test will be even more closely aligned with current high school curricula than before:

• A writing test will be added, including multiple-choice questions and a student-written essay;
• Analogies will be replaced by more critical reading passages from a variety of texts that range from science and history to humanities and literature (what is now called the Verbal Reasoning Test will be renamed the Critical Reading Test to emphasize the importance of reading);
• The math test will be expanded to include topics from Algebra II, and quantitative comparisons will be eliminated.

"The writing test will add great value to the SAT I," said Linda Clement, chair of the College Board Trustees and vice president of the University of Maryland at College Park. "Research has shown that the addition of a writing test provides increased validity in predicting college success, but, more importantly, it sends a loud and clear message that strong writing is essential to success in college and beyond."

Valued by educators for its rigor and its strong basis in research, the SAT I will maintain its quality and integrity at the highest level. The new SAT I will be introduced following thorough research and field testing over the next three years. Longitudinal test data will not be disturbed; rather the new test will be equated to the current test. In addition, a diagnostic feature, similar to one recently added to the PSAT/NMSQT^®, will be added to the SAT I to provide diagnostic information to help improve a student's academic skills. Research will also be conducted to confirm the value of this diagnostic for students, schools, and colleges.

The revisions announced today are the latest in a progression of modifications that have taken place since the SAT I was created in 1926. The last major revision was in 1994 following a Blue Ribbon Commission's recommendation to explore changes that would more closely align the test with then-current classroom practices. At that time, the SAT became the first national admissions test to encourage use of calculators and introduce open-ended math items. Longer reading passages were added and antonyms were dropped. Nineteen ninety-four also saw a significant revision to the College Board's Achievement Test program (SAT II: Subject Tests), when a student-written essay was added to the grammar, usage, and structure components of the SAT II: Writing Subject Test.

"The SAT II: Writing Test has given us the basis for now developing a new SAT I writing component," Caperton stressed.

According to Caperton, the College Board's SAT I: Reasoning Test and SAT II: Subject Tests - when used in combination - constitute the most comprehensive battery of college admissions tests in the world. Unlike the SAT I, the SAT IIs are achievement tests that measure how much a student knows about a particular academic subject such as biology or American history. The College Board offers 22 different SAT II: Subject Tests, demonstrating achievement in 18 different academic subjects. Many colleges and universities require applicants to take one or more of these tests in addition to the SAT I. More than three million SATs were administered last year, the largest number ever.

The College Board is a national nonprofit membership association whose mission is to prepare, inspire, and connect students to college and success. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 4,200 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves over three million students and their parents, 2,200 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning. Among its best-known programs are the SAT, the PSAT/NMSQT, and the Advanced Placement Program^® (AP^®). The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities, and concerns.

For more information, contact:
Chiara Coletti
(212) 713-8052