The College Board has announced fundamental changes to the SAT, slated for the spring of 2016. A recent story by the New York Times reported the changes include an end to the longstanding penalty for wrong answers, eliminating obscure vocabulary words and making the essay optional.
In addition, David Coleman, president of the College Board announced programs to help low-income students, who will receive fee waivers allowing them to apply to four colleges at no charge. Also, free online SAT study materials will be provided in partnership with Khan Academy.
The new exam will be administered both on paper and computer. The scoring will revert to the old 1,600-point scale, from the current top score of 2,400. The optional essay will have a separate score. In addition, obscure vocabulary words will be replaced by words that are common in college courses. The math section will focus on linear equations, functions and proportional thinking, with limited use of a calculator.