Current v. New SAT: Your Child’s Percentage Score Will Likely Be In the Same Range

I am one of the few SAT teachers in Connecticut who has been teaching SATs long enough to have been around during the last major overhaul of the SAT (circa 2005). The biggest difference in reaction is the pre versus post social media frenzy that this current test as caused. Back then, there was a large tumult regarding the new writing section and a smaller uproar regarding the elimination of analogies. That the test would now have three sections and thus a different overall scoring system caused enormous confusion. But in the good old days of 2005, most parents took the matter in greater stride.

You should as well and let me explain why: as a parent, your main concern related to the SAT and college admissions should be “will my child score as high on the new SAT as he/she would on the current SAT”?

Based on my preliminary work with students, as I have taught the new SAT to four full SAT classes (about 60 students in total) and have taught another 60 students individually is that most every student will score in a similar percentage range. Specifically, if your child would likely score in the 90% range in the current SAT, he/she will likely be in that percentage range on the new SAT. Why? Because even though there are significant differences in the current versus new SAT, the new SAT – like the old SAT – is still a test of reading comprehension, mathematical ability, and grammar/writing skill. This was my main discovery regarding the “old SAT” v. the current SAT way back in 2005-2006 and will likely be main discovery regarding the current SAT versus the new SAT in 2015-2016.