The College Board released new sample test questions on Wednesday for the redesigned SAT test rolling out in 2016, according to The Washington Post.
Some of the questions include calculating the foreign exchange rate a vacationing American would pay in India, or estimating from a random sample the number of 18- to 34-year olds who voted for a candidate, which aim for more real-world application and analysis from students, The Post reported. The SAT was taken last year by 1.7 million students.
In the sample question pertaining to the U.S. traveler in India, the test taker must first determine what foreign exchange rate the traveler paid, according to The Post. Then, calculate charges on a prepaid card compared to a Traveler card.
In the sample question related to a political candidate, the test taker must first determine from a table which age group had the greatest number of people reporting they had voted, The Post reported. Then, compare the table to another survey to determine which of four statements about voter turnout is correct.
One of the biggest changes is that relatively obscure vocabulary words such as "punctilious" and "lachrymose" are unlikely to appear on the test, according to The Post. Test takers will see words more likely to be used in classrooms or in the workplace, like "synthesis."
Instead of a wide range math section, the redesigned test will concentrate on areas that "matter most for college and career readiness and success," the College Board said, The Post reported.
Another change is the essay section becoming optional and new required passage reading coupled with explanations on how the author constructed an argument instead of offering the student's own point of view on a specific issue, according to The Post.
Other changes to the SAT first announced by the College Board last month include making a computer-based version of the test an option, getting rid of the extra penalty for wrong answers, limiting the use of calculators to select sections and returning to a 1,600-point scale, The Post reported.
Each test will also include a passage from the U.S. founding documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, or conversations they've inspired, the College Board has said, according to The Post.
One sample questions released was adapted from a 1974 speech by Representative Barbara Jordan from Texas during the impeachment hearings of President Richard Nixon, The Post reported. Test takers must answer questions that best describe Jordan's stance and the main rhetorical effect of a part of the passage.
Cynthia Schmeiser, the College Board's chief of assessment, told reporters that reasoning is still an important component of the SAT, but it will be done in "applied contexts," according to The Post.
Schmeiser said there will be commonalities between the redesigned SAT and the Common Core standards being rolled out in most states, which emphasize critical thinking in English and math in the K-12 setting, The Post reported.
"What we're doing here is trying to distinguish the SAT in many important ways from the current SAT and frankly from other admissions exams to provide the why and the what are the fewer more important things that students need in order to be ready for college and to succeed in college," Schmeiser added, according to The Post.
