Everyone from know-it-all seniors to wide-eyed freshmen had to answer sets of analogies and take three SAT II tests before they were admitted to Dartmouth College. For the Class of 2010, that will not be the case.
The College announced Thursday that applicants for the class of 2010 will take the new SAT I and only submit two SAT II scores.
This change was made in response to the writing portion added to the SAT I. The new section places more weight on the writing capabilities of high school students, a weakness identified by many both inside and outside academe.
The writing section was added in an attempt to award more emphasis to what is increasingly considered a vital skill both in college and beyond, according to College Board spokeswoman Sandra Riley.
"Secondary schools and the business community have expressed concerns about the writing of high school graduates," Riley said.
The traditional SAT I verbal section will now be called the "critical reading section," since analogies have been eliminated and replaced with more reading passages.
"We want the test to be more closely aligned with what they're learning in high school and what they will learn in college, and analogies are not what they study in school," Riley said. "The tests still contains analytic reasoning but in other formats."
The math portion has also been altered, with third-year college preparatory math or algebra two added to a section that had previously not demanded higher math skills.
Despite these alterations, Dartmouth admissions officials say that the admissions process will not be significantly affected. Two SAT II subject tests in addition to the writing portion of the altered SAT I test will measure the same skilled previously gauged by three subject tests and one traditional SAT I test, said Dean of Admissions Karl Furstenberg.
The other seven Ivy League universities have agreed to require the new SAT I test, but some institutions, including Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, are still in the process of determining the number of SAT II subject tests that applicants must submit.
Many of the nation's top post-secondary institutions are responding favorably to the change, according to the College Board. So far, 362 universities have committed to requiring the new standardized test for high school students in the class of 2006.
"Close to 60 percent of flagship public colleges and 64 percent of colleges in the major athletic conferences have already required the new test," Riley said.
During the transition year, some schools will accept both the newer and older versions of the SAT I.
Some current undergraduates believe the changes will alleviate some of the burdens encountered by applicants.
"I think that it's a really good idea," David Satterwhite '07 said. "If they still required another subject test it would be overkill, since you already have to write an essay for the SAT."
Others predicted the SAT I will show some students the importance of good writing.
"There are students who are strong in science and who are not so good in English," Renee Cottle '07 said. "It would definitely cause them to pay more attention to their writing skills and not just rely on their strong science and math backgrounds to get high scores."
