The following statement about The College Board’s announcement on changes to the SAT comes from Isaac Botier, executive director of college admissions programs, Kaplan:
“These represent some of the biggest changes to the SAT in its nearly 100-year-old history, with many aspects from its testing interface to its length seeing a major overhaul. In general, we think these changes are student-friendly and we are glad that initial research shows them to be popular with test takers.
“The move to a digital format has been a long time coming, not only because there has been talk that the test maker was going to do this, but because it’s where education is going, in general, and that includes the SAT.
“As for cutting the testing experience from three hours to two hours, who won’t like a shorter exam? While it will still challenge test takers’ time management skills, it won’t be quite the daunting marathon it has been.
“It’s no secret that most colleges and universities across the United States have recently suspended their standardized test requirement, in order to make the application process less stressful for prospective students who have enough hardships on their plates due to the pandemic. It’s very possible this will be the new norm, even post-COVID. That said, we’d point out to students that submitting a strong test score could still give them an important edge. According to Kaplan’s 2021 college admissions officers survey, 61 percent of test optional colleges and universities say that a competitive SAT score can help a prospective student’s application. Our advice to students is this: use the strategy that most helps your chances of getting in. If you think you’ll do well on the SAT, then prepare accordingly and submit a great score. You can also take the SAT, see how you do, and then decide to keep the score to yourself. For all students, as always, put together the strongest application possible, which includes an outstanding GPA, compelling personal essay, convincing letters of recommendation, and a record of extracurriculars that accentuates your leadership skills.
“Over the next few months and years, Kaplan will do what it does best whenever there’s a test change of this magnitude: educate students, parents, and high school counselors about what this means for them and revamp our courses to make sure they effectively prepare students for the new challenges they’ll face for every step of their academic and professional journey.”
To speak with an SAT expert at Kaplan, contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or 917.822.8190.
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About Kaplan
Kaplan is a global educational services company that provides individuals, universities, and businesses with a diverse array of services, including higher and professional education, test preparation, language training, corporate and leadership training, and student recruitment, online enablement and other university support services. With operations in nearly 30 countries, Kaplan serves nearly 1.1 million students each year and has partnerships with 2,000-plus universities, colleges, and schools/school districts, and more than 4,000 businesses globally. Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC). For more information, please visit www.kaptest.com.
Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)
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