Changes to the SAT mean changes to the PSAT

Starting last October, students began seeing the new, redesigned PSAT format and there’s room for celebration. As some have heard, the SAT has undergone some changes that, according to Vice President of College Readiness Assessment at College Board Stacy Caldwell, “The test changes are meant to focus exactly on the skills that students most need for success in college.”

That sounds like good news since the test hasn’t been updated in close to 10 years and the admissions world has changed some since then.

The good news is students will see only four multiple choice options versus five and the penalty for guessing is gone. This means your answer confidence should increase and you won’t have to grapple with your level of confidence for an answer.

Additionally, the new PSAT will focus less on those dreaded SAT vocabulary options and have students decipher the meaning of the words using the context of a sentence or passage. While these may seem like improvements, your level of preparation and study remain the same and are further complicated by the lack of study materials available. After 10 years of following a similar test, college applicants had a wealth of study information at their fingertips. Within the initial roll out of the new test, the study materials are still catching up.

Another downside is that the new test is 35 minutes longer, ringing up a whopping two hours and 45 minutes. So, as you prepare to tackle tough questions and reading comprehension, you’ll also need to sustain your brainpower for longer.

At The College Store, we’ll also be studying up on the best training and preparation packages to make sure you’re ready for the big test. We can embrace the change and give you the tools you need to be successful. Ask us how today.