<p>lol^ that’s not happening. At latest it’s probably gonna be 2017.</p>
<p>Yeah, there’d be no point of announcing it if it was 5+ years away</p>
<p>If the change doesn’t occur until after me definitely the SAT because that’s what I started studying for and I just feel like the ACT isn’t as good. I mean the SAT is classic. I guess it’s one of those Coke or Pepsi like preferences.</p>
<p>Since my sister is a freshman I thought about looking into this. I read a few articles from different websites and they all keep suggesting 2015-2016. It will be interesting to see what they are changing. I am willing to bet that essay section will definitely be different and the math section will have Alg 2 questions and less tricky questions like the current one.</p>
<p>^lol. You may prefer Coke, but if a restaurant doesn’t have Coke then what do you do? You settle for a Pepsi</p>
<p>My post was in response to post 43.</p>
<p>The math is pi. The English part makes an imbalance / tests us on ridiculous material that won’t matter for my college success. So I’m hoping they make it more interesting / worth studying / measures skills better, not just numbers that correlate to success because that means ‘better students’ in general, numbers that are measuring the right things!</p>
<p>@achilles09 yep pretty much. I was speaking more so in the sense that generally people prefer one over the other based on their background and taste ( peers, what they perceive to be easier or better, where they are from etc.). I think your fits more specifically though to this change. Currently, they test on different skills. The ACT is straightforward and the SAT involves more critical thinking.</p>
<p>My school doesn’t offer the PLAN so that’s also an ACT drawback.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t think easy calculus questions are better or more high-level than hard Algebra II questions. Actually, it’s probably the opposite…for a lot of people, basic calculus is just memorization of The Rules and it’s easy, but harder algebra problems (like stuff on the AMC, I guess…maybe not that hard) might actually require some critical thinking. And they’re more interesting. 
Also, including calculus on the SAT would result in more high school students taking calculus, and I think a lot of people are pushed into it too early as it is.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’m supposed to be good at math and I want to be a math major, but I always did slightly better on the English sections of tests than the math sections. I see a lot of other people doing well on the math and not on the English section, and I always wondered why.
Being able to write fluently and idiomatically in English is really important for your college success, IMO.</p>
<p>I know that when the SAT added the writing section for the first time/year colleges didn’t count it, my friend said that he didn’t even do that section because he knew it didn’t count. So, just something to think about, I’m sure you will all do fine and you can always take the ACT too.</p>
<p>^
Which sucks for me because that was the only section I got a perfect score on. Meanwhile my essays are still awful.</p>
<p>@halyconheather aren’t you a junior? It won’t effect you at all.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’m a rising senior.
I know they sort of count the writing section now, but I think they still value the math and CR sections more. Some schools still care more about your CR+M score out of 1600 than your score out of 2400.</p>
<p>Wait, did someone say no more vocab/essay?</p>
<p>It’s implied</p>
<p>@halyconheather what career do you plan to pursue with a math major & where are you applying? </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/02/27/college-board-announces-plans-redesign-sat[/URL]”>http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/02/27/college-board-announces-plans-redesign-sat</a></p>
<p>Found one more. It’s in a little bit more detail.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Academia (community college, LAC, university, whatever) or teaching at a prep school.
At the moment, I’m planning on applying to UChicago, Michigan, Case Western, UIUC, Northeastern, Ohio State, Minnesota, and the University of Alabama. Maybe Stanford and Harvey Mudd.
I’ll probably end up needing a lot of merit aid, so unfortunately I can’t just go to the “best” college I can get into.</p>
<ol>
<li>I did not study really hard on the SAT, because I never found any of the topics useful or interesting. Or at least put in a practical sense.
Here’s what I’m good at on the SAT: Vocabulary, math.
Here’s what I’m not good at: Passages / Grammar / Essay sections</li>
</ol>
<p>Yeah, I’m going to need some English in 2 classes and my senior project as an engineer that abused his APs like crazy. As for timed write situations, the Sophomore year English class and the writing placement test for Juniors are the only times I’ll deal with that. (I’m just bad with coming up with examples on the spot and trying to put something down in 25 minutes whereas a lot of people can score 10 just writing as fast as they can without planning and I never even tried that).
I do have a unique enough style to my writing, and as long as I can communicate effectively the important things, I feel I’m good.
Edit: As well, the prompts are generally random topics such as is it better for society to make big goals or small goals… This falls apart when you think about big goals should consist of a bunch of smaller parts or however you think about it is not something I’d be explaining on a daily basis. Either that or it feels the argument is very lopsided.</p>
<p>As for picking out grammar mistakes from a passage, that’s the worst part of the test. I often do not finish those—they purposely insert them and we have to find them (and what if there is no error?!?). This kind of goes against the natural process of writing and to me feels like nit-picky nonsense as I won’t be doing MC questions / sorting through all the wrong ways to write a sentence trying to proofread my essay. In fact, I’m taking advantage of free writing tutors.</p>
<p>As for the reading, it’s a combination of a lack of this type of test-taking skill and probably falling for the traps. I don’t know if it’s absolutely necessary to have this skill if my major is focusing on problem solving, processes, etc rather than getting complicated texts.</p>
<p>Well not everyone is going to have your major and unfortunately not everyone has their career and major planned when they take college prep tests like the SAT/ACT. The test had to be the same for everyone in order for scores to be transferable. They can’t be customized for every person and their preferences because then they would loose value.</p>