The state school day SAT will be administered online this year!
This past week, many Connecticut high school juniors were surprised by the news that, for the first time, the SAT administered in March to high school juniors in the state will be taken online.
Standardized testing being what it is — stressful — has resulted in students and families having many questions.
Q: Is this the new digital test version that is shorter and adaptive?
A: No. The March school day SAT will be the exact same test format as the paper version. The only difference is that it will be taken online.
Q: Will colleges still accept it for admission purposes?
A: Every college admission officer that we talked to said that they would consider it just as they do any other SAT test score.
Q: What can I do to prepare?
A: The best way to prepare is to familiarize yourself with the interface. The College Board has a test version here where students can walk through a shortened sample test and the functionality of the system.
Q: The sample version online has an essay section! Will there be an essay on the March test?
A: No. You can ignore that part of the mock test. It’s a leftover from a previous version.
Q: What parts of the practice site should I pay attention to?
A: Students should familiarize themselves with how to move from question to question and section to section, how to flag a question so that they can go back to it later, how to highlight portions of the test and strike out eliminated answers, and how to use the math reference section.
Q: How can I practice the reading section?
A: What is tricky about the reading section is that the passage and the question and answers are on the screen together. Students need to scroll up and down to read the passage on the left-hand side of the screen, while the right-hand side of the screen is fixed. We suggest getting a PDF of a practice test (the College Board has several here) and taking it online. If you can, put the reading passage on one screen and the answer sheet on another to simulate the scrolling you will need to do.
Q: I’m worried that I’m not going to do as well on this version as I’ve done in the past!
A: Mark Anestis of The Learning Edge in Guilford says, “Don’t panic. It’s the same test!” And, besides, if you leave the test and really feel as if you bombed it, you have the right to cancel your score. So there is absolutely no reason to be stressed. Anestis says that as long as you spend some time getting used to the digital tools, you will be ready to go. So take a deep breath, and go in there and do your best!!