I’ve been hearing from some people that there is and from others that there isn’t. Can someone clarify this for me?
Thank you!
took it today and there wasnt one. My school signed us up for with essay, so if you take it with essay, there wont be an experimental for sure. not sure about w/out essay tho
@elijefe123 Thank you!
The SAT without the essay does not have an experimental section either.
CB has said that some students who take it without the essay will take an experimental section, but the CB has been crafty and opaque in its explanation of this matter.
If the fifth section had operational items, wouldn’t CB just say “The fifth section has operational items”? What would be the motive for not saying this?
That way everyone would be sure to work on it.
Why does CB say “the fifth section MIGHT HAVE operational items”?
Doesn’t this mean “The fifth section doesn’t have operational items but I don’t want to tell you that”?
When the students get back their score reports, they will know (or be able to make a very educated guess) whether any fifth section items were operational, based on the number of questions correct and incorrect of each kind.
If there are operational items in the fifth section in May, they will have to be released in the QAS. Is CB going to release just selected questions from a section?
Or it might mean “we don’t know what we’re doing and haven’t decided yet.” It’s probably a very bad sign that I actually hope this is the case.
A cynical guess: the experimental section will not count for anything. But this is their one window to have students go in still believing that it MIGHT count. So they get one round of meaningful data to establish their norms. Going forward, as it becomes clear that the section does NOT count, they will have to let it go – the data will be meaningless when nobody thinks it counts.
The day will come when these tests are all given on computer, untimed, with varying questions based on how you respond. When that day comes, they will be able to mix in “pretest” items among the “operational” items as much as they want.
Well, the ACT gives a fifth experimental section in June to some students who did not take writing and no one has ever said anything about it. The proctors tell the students it doesn’t count. Sounds like Collegebaord is now doing the same thing.
This is the case for a lot of things–the ACT flies under the radar a bit, but make no mistake: it’s as slapdash and incompetent as the CB and just as vulnerable to all the same weaknesses.
The TOEFL is computer-based, but it is neither computer-adaptive nor untimed.
The MCAT is computer-based, but neither CAT nor untimed.
The GRE is computer-based, and it is partially CAT, but not untimed.
The GMAT is almost all CAT, but not untimed.
The LSAT is still a paper test (!)
Which CAT model would you expect for the SAT: the GMAT model, the GRE model, or something else?
I had assumed that the SAT would follow the TOEFL model: computer based, but not CAT, and certainly not GMAT-style CAT. Maybe with a paper-based option available. GMAT-style CAT is stressful. I don’t know if high school students could handle it. Just the CAT aspect itself requires special strategies and possibly special prep.
The GRE model might rile the hot potato groups. It moves away from “the same test for everyone” principle.
Even the move to a computer-based, non-CAT test would have to wait for the time when all or most underprivileged high school students had good basic computer literacy skills, unless the move was in parallel with a paper-based option. Graduate students are expected to be computer literate. I believe the TOEFL is still available in the paper-based form, just in case.
What makes you think that the SAT will become untimed? I read that NY is administering Common Core tests untimed. Is that the reason? That would really be a big change.
An acquaintance of mine said he and his entire room had the fifth section, but of course, that is not firsthand knowledge.
Neil, I saw your post about one high school but were there more?