Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Kaplan Survey: 2016 SAT Changes Impacting How Most High School Counselors are Advising Their Students on Which College Admissions Exam to Take

  • 05/20/15

New York, N.Y. — The upcoming changes to the SAT, scheduled to roll out in March 2016, are affecting the advice high school counselors are giving their students about which college admissions exam to take -- the current SAT, new SAT or ACT® -- according to a new Kaplan Test Prep survey of 172 high school counselors*. However, specific recommendations vary.

A third (33%) say students should take more than one exam, which would help them figure out which of the three would most help them get into their choice colleges. Far fewer are recommending single test options: 6% of counselors are telling students to take the current version of the SAT early to avoid the changes, 6% are recommending students wait until after the SAT changes in March to take the test, and 16% are advising students to take the ACT instead. The remaining percentage say the SAT changes are not affecting their advice to students.

“We wanted to see how the upcoming SAT changes may be influencing the test-taking recommendations that high school counselors are making to their students, and we found that while they are definitely having an influence, there’s no strong consensus on which approach to take,” said Michael Boothroyd, contributing editor for Kaplan’s 5 Strategies for the New SAT. “Our view is that students will increase their competitive advantage by taking more than one test. The class of 2017 has the unique opportunity of taking the current version of the SAT this fall, then also seeing how they’d perform on the new SAT in March, plus also having the option of taking the ACT. As long as they plan ahead for it, this year’s sophomores have a one-time college application advantage of selecting their best score from three different admissions tests.”

Changes that will make the new SAT more rigorous: text-heavy math problems, a ban on calculator use for an entire section of math questions, 65 uninterrupted minutes of long passage reading, and an essay (optional by the test administrator, though required by many schools) that will demand thoughtful analysis of a long passage and explanation of how an author builds an argument.

For more information about Kaplan Test Prep’s survey of high school counselors, please contact Russell Schaffer at [email protected] or 212.453.7538. For more information about the upcoming changes to the SAT, visit Kaplan’s test change resource center at www.satchange.com.

Featured

  • UNT Dallas Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for $100M STEM Building

    The University of North Texas at Dallas in Dallas, Texas, recently celebrated the opening of its new, $100-million STEM Building, according to local news. The ceremony on Dec. 2 preceded the first day of classes in the facility on Jan. 12, 2026.

  • Geometric abstract school illustration

    How Design Shapes Learning and Success

    Can the color of a wall, the curve of a chair, or the hum of fluorescent lights really affect how a student learns? More schools are beginning to think so.

  • Minnesota Middle School Finishes $23.5M Addition and Modernization

    Highland Park Middle School in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $23.5-million addition and remodel project, according to a news release. Saint Paul Public Schools partnered with ATS&R Planners, Architects & Engineers for its design and Kraus-Anderson for its construction.

  • NWEA Report Recommends K–12 Natural Disaster Recovery Strategies

    The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a K–12 assessment and research organization, recently announced the release of a new playbook for schools and communities recovering from extreme weather events, according to a news release.