The SAT is getting a makeover; the College Board has voted to make the essay optional, remove the penalty for incorrect guesses and replace the vocabulary with words that are more likely to show up in college reading, such as “empirical” and “synthesis.”

The College Board president said the SAT had become "disconnected" to the learning it is supposed to measure. And students at the University of Southern California agree. 

“It’s basically a test on how fast you can fill in the bubbles and think of an answer,” said junior Alyssa Nalcamoto, who attended South Torrance High School in California. 

Critics have aruged that colleges should stop requiring the test at all, since grades are a more accurate indicator of potential.

“I got straight As in high school and I got a bad score on the SAT,” said Jessica Dillon, a sophomore from Issaquah High School in Washington State.

A single test can trigger performace anxiety that negatively affects results.

“You basically have this idea that if you don’t do well on this test you won’t get into the college of your dreams,” Nalcamoto said. 

The College Board also wants to address inequality; new programs will provide fee waivers to low-income students so they can apply to four colleges free of charge. Free practice problems from old tests and instructional videos will be available online. 

“I was able to get ahead because I got this big book from Kaplan, but people who don’t even know what the SAT format is are at a huge disadvantage,” Dillon said.

The overall scoring will soon return to the 1600 scales, with 800 as the highest possible in reading and math.

Reach Executive Producer Anne Artley here