The new SAT is coming out in Spring 2016. This is a problem for me because I might prefer the old test, but I won’t know until I take it(Fall 2015) and by then it will be too late. Is the new SAT “easier”? If I study for the old one will I be ok for the new one?
I personally do not think the new SAT is easier. I know for sure the essay is getting harder (more of a rhetorical analysis unlike the current argument essay), and the math section will include more Pre-Calculus stuff.
I wouldn’t suggest using material for the current SAT to study for the new one; both tests are very different. If you do decide to take the new SAT, wait until the new SAT Study Guide will come out.
You may also choose to study over the summer using current SAT prep materials to study for the current SAT, then possibly take it in October or November of your Junior year before the new SAT will be administered.
As someone who tutors and teaches test prep, and who has seen both versions, I continue to think the new SAT is easier for someone who is good at math. The verbal is ridiculously easy for someone who is already good in the verbal area, especially someone who has taken AP Lang (because of the rhetorical aspect of that). If a student is better at verbal than quantitative, I recommend taking the old SAT while you still can. The new one favors mathematicians and scientists; Coleman was upfront about that in the NYT article, and he has made good on his promise.