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Keller &White SAT
The New SAT and the Class of 2017
The new SAT will be given for the first time next March. As the lucky class of 2017, you will
be the first group of students to take this new test. And it is new. There will be new math
topics and a new way of testing reading and writing. The College Board has released samples
of the new question types but has not yet released a full sample test. In the meantime, how do
you plan your testing calendar?
Option 1: WAIT AND SEE
This is not a terrible plan. The College Board will release a book of practice tests early this
coming summer. You can be certain that we here at Keller & White (along with the entire test
prep world) will be examining the released tests thoroughly so that we can adapt our course
appropriately. And while the test will be new, some things will not change: thorough
preparation, careful strategies and lots of practice are going to lead you to score improvements.
We will run a PSAT class in the fall and SAT classes in the winter to prepare for the new test.
Note: the fall PSAT will be “new style.”
Option 1 is the calm, easy-going rational plan. But it does mean that you won’t be taking your
first real SAT until March. That’s FINE. Many students wait until March (or later) to take
their first one. On the other hand, many students and parents (including me, I admit) are not
so calm and easy-going! For them, there is another option…
Option 2: EARLY START
The goal of this plan is to take care of the SAT before the change-over to the new SAT occurs.
The new SAT is not scary, but it is an unknown. We know how to prepare for the current SAT
and we have lots of released practice tests to work with. So the plan here is to prepare for the
SAT given in May of sophomore year. Then, continue to brush up and review over the
summer so that you can take it again in October of junior year and even again in January if
needed.
The advantages here are that you are preparing for a known quantity and you have the
opportunity to be done with the SAT by the midpoint of junior year.
The disadvantage is that if you do not score high enough to meet your goal, you may then have
to prepare for the new format SAT as well.
Also, if you are a very strong student with your sights set on National Merit, you will still have
to prepare for the new format test over the summer to handle the “new style” PSAT.
I wish there were an easy, one-size-fits-all answer! Feel free to call us to discuss what plan
works best for you.