Waste of money, since these same tests are on Khan Academy for free.
Returning it for the 10 test version.
Any thoughts on the 4 sample tests within the new SAT CB Book released today?
Reading: Easier than the old SAT CR, but still on the harder side compared to the ACT.
Math: No calculator section sucks. I pity the students who rely on calculators.
Writing: carbon copy of ACT English.
Essay: Disaster! It’s a combination of Reading Comprehension and Essay. Way more work involved now!
Wow that is pretty bad. The new test is bad enough (in my opinion), but I am sure there are plenty of people out there (people not on this forum, for example) who will buy the book not realizing that the tests are available for free. Oh College Board. Don’t even know what to say.
Hmm… I actually don’t mind that the tests are the same though they should certainly advertise that point more clearly. Printing out the PDFS on my own printer would probably cost me as much as the book. And I am sure that they would argue that there is value added in their introductions and in their explanations. I have not reviewed their explanations to see if they are worthwhile. I expect that they are all mathematically sound but that they won’t all be the shortest paths.
What is troubling to me is that at this point (unless I have missed a memo somewhere) they have provided no score charts, not even the estimated ranges that accompanied the initial blue book after the last format change.
PCKeller, CB says it will release Scales during the “summer”. It claims that it’s still doing research and studies to make sure the scales are accurate, something along those lines.
Releasing the tests without scales seems dumb.
There is a version of the book with 10 tests, we got it today and it is much better. In our case it has the geometry review my D needed. She hasn’t taken Geometry since 7th grade. And it is the actual blue book, the 4 test version is greenish. It is on Amazon for $39 with no picture of the cover.
Also, it doesn’t reference Khan Academy on every page.
@nw2this Could you post the Amazon link to this book? I don’t want to buy the wrong one by accident.
Unless I am missing something that must be some kind of mistake. I don’t think there is any college board book ofr the new SAT with 10 tests. That must be an older book or one from a test prep company.
On the point about the explanations, they are actually available online too. So you don’t need to buy the book for that either. They are not on the Khan Academy site, but they are available one the CB site.
The Blue Book with 10 tests is for the current (old) SAT. The greenish book with 4 tests is for the New SAT.
Oops. You are right. It is the old book. Sorry.
Be careful when you search for “New SAT” on Amazon. Remember the 2005 SAT was also “New” back then so a lot of old titles come up with those search terms.
Are you wondering why the SAT keeps changing? It has nothing to do with college readiness - it’s all about grabbing publishing industry market share: every time they update the test it makes all the competition go away (for a while at least) and gives Big Blue a competitive advantage. Yes, yes Kaplan and co are already on it, but it will take the private sector a few years to regain its share.
What irks me is the whole altruism facade that is being used to cover up this business ruse: they wanted to appear less greedy and partnered with Sal Khan (the Gandhi of free education) to soften their image but ended up selling a book to a scared and confused public that offered no real value. This is what happens when you put a politician in charge of education: the public gets duped. We need an amendment to the Constitution: a separation of school and state.
But really guys. You created the monster. With all your posts about how we should only use official CB material you created a publishing phenomenon that thinks it can get away with anything (such as cancelling entire sections on the June test because they have become inept at proof reading). They are STILL sellling strong in spite of all the one star reviews from customers who feel ripped-off. If you keep singing praises to Big Blue you will help inflate the self-importance of an organization that already feels it is not accountable to anyone.
@grassfed Will the CollegeBoard have the last laugh when people migrate over to the ACT? The SAT wanted to gain market share, but these stunts aren’t helping that cause
Absolutely not. The SAT is here to stay. In spite of all these hiccups and changes the SAT brand is still stronger. Over the last 5 years, at least in the North Eastern US, kids have been taking both tests. And yes, they all report (to me at least) that the ACT is way easier. There will be no “migration” as such. More kids will just take both. By the way, the ACT has also undergone a change whereby they “copied” from the SAT: they now have the double passages which they slipped in without much fanfare (sneaky, sneaky)
What we are witnessing is cultural evolution: two species competing for limited resources (students) adapting to changes in the environment (unmotivated students who prefer tumblr, fb, youtube and games to reading ) trying to make education “friendly” and thus relevant. Let’s blame Zuckerberg for all this mess…lol.
I agree with you, I was simply reffering to the new Sat essay’s better representation of what you would learn in a college Composition and Rhetoric class. Other than that, you are spot on! Sadly, we trust blue books here because no one else can have as much access to the upcoming tests as can they.
The ACT success is a direct result of the organization’s performance in “convincing” states to make the test mandatory. Ultimately, the states that have rolled the red carpet out to the Iowa Boys might decide to place both tests on the same pedestal. It is good to remember that the SAT is a membership organization owned by … the colleges. They are not going anywhere and they hardly have to GAIN market share in a duopoly system. The ACT has simply moved from being a ■■■■■■■ cousin to becoming the little brother.
@xiggi Where I live the ACT is not required. Each year, more and more high school students have been taking the ACT instead of the SAT. That is not happening in other places too, but only in the places where the ACT is required?
Your posts are pretty hard to understand.
There are statistics that show the penetration of the ACT and the SAT where individual states made the ACT mandatory. The fact that more students are taking the ACT than before does not change much to the argument describing how the ACT had success in convincing some educators the test should be mandatory.
@xiggi My only comment is that where I live the ACT is not required. Yet many people seem to prefer it to the SAT and don’t even take the SAT at all. All I am asking you is whether that is common practice in places where the ACT is not a graduation requirement?
Market share is market share. In business it doesn’t matter how you get it. Just as long as you get it. The idea that the ACT managed to convince several states to make the ACT mandatory says a lot about its growing influence.
The little brother is quickly growing up.
@mmk2015 Where I live it is well believed that the ACT is a much easier test. Do you think the new SAT will help the SAT turn it around and sway folks back toward SAT?