By Isabelle Olson
All Colorado Public School juniors, as planned by the Colorado Department of Education, will take the ACT this year of 2016 on April 19th.
In fact, students all across the country will take a standardized test, that being either the ACT or the SAT. But recently, there have been some changes made to the SAT, and now there is a debate about which test is better and how. Next year, our juniors will be given this new version of the SAT, and from there there a decision will be made on which test will stick. But what are the differences between all these tests?
The differences between the ACT and the SAT are slight, but due to changes in the SAT there is a debate on whether the new version of the SAT is a better gauge of students’ abilities. According to Actstudent.org, the new version is different from the old in many ways.
To begin, the total cost for the exam was $54.50, because the essay was implemented into the test as mandatory. But now, because the essay is optional and the students may choose if they write or not, the cost is $43.00. However, if students choose to write the essay, the cost jumps back to $54.50.
The total time for the old exam was three hours and 45 minutes, but again due to the change of the essay, the new times comes to three hours, with an added time of 50 minutes for the essay. The change in the essay is helpful for many students who are good at taking tests but not very good at writing, and it gives an equal opportunity for students on the opposite side, who are good with writing but not with tests.
More changes take place in the actual test itself. The amount of math problems has increased to 58 from 54. Consequently there are 10 more minutes to complete that portion of the test, moving the total time to 80 minutes rather than 70. The old reading portion was “critical reading,” with 67 items and 70 minutes. The new test is “evidence based reading/writing,” divided by reading with 52 questions with 65 minutes, and writing with 44 questions with 35 minutes.
The old test had a mandatory essay portion, as well as a writing multiple choice, but with the new exam there is a choice in the essay, and a mandatory writing multiple choice as well. The essay on the new test is one prompt, and the student now has 50 minutes to complete it, rather than the mere 25 minutes provided on the old test.
Both of the reading and writing tests focus on reasoning and vocabulary, but the new test has a greater focus on the meaning of word choice and how it shapes meaning, tone and impact. Between these tests, there is even a difference in the scoring, in that the new test does not take away points for wrong answers (like the old one did) and is based on the number of correct answers. When comparing the new SAT and the old, the changes made achieved the goal of making a well-constructed exam that will give accurate results of student’s abilities.
However, there is another piece in this puzzle. The ACT is the other exam that students in America are taking, and it is different from the new SAT in a few ways. First of all, the cost of the ACT, without the also optional essay, comes to $39.90, which is close to the same price of the SAT. However, when you add the essay to the test, the cost comes to $56.50, which is again close to the cost of the SAT, but is still a few dollars more expensive. The total time given for this test is two hours and 55 minutes, and students who request the essay are given 30 minutes (rather than 50 on the SAT) to complete one prompt.
The biggest difference between the two tests is the subjects they provide. The ACT offers science, where the SAT does not, and also divides the language part of the test into reading, writing and English. The reading and science portions have 40 questions with only 35 minutes to answer them, and the mathematics and English parts have 60 and 75 questions with 60 and 45 minutes for completion. When it comes to scoring, the ACT is the same as the SAT because they do not take away points for incorrect answers. However, the ACT can include “enhanced scoring for reliable college and career planning insights,” which is not provided by the SAT.
All in all, these tests are difficult and require the use of full brain power. At our school, we’ve been given the ACT for years, and this year of 2016 they will do the same. Next year, however, juniors at Wheat Ridge will be given the new SAT. Ultimately, it seems like that will be the opportunity for students to show their knowledge with a fair and profiting exam, and I hope it stays that way.
