Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Major Changes in SAT Announced by College Board

I loved the rarefied vocabulary words and, sad to say, thoroughly enjoyed taking both the SAT (7th grade and high school) and the GRE. I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't had a terrible cold when taking the high school SAT, but I digress.

I help students get used to what to expect for standardized exams (like the MCAT) as part of my job. I have always liked that the difficult words were something you couldn't just learn by studying a list; that doesn't convey the subtleties of meaning you learn by reading. I'm all for making sure that students know important, useful words (like synthesis), but I just don't see how removing those rarified words won't make it easier for students to be rewarded for test prep.

I often work with students who have a lot of ability but may be the first in their family to go to college and lack resources for all of the expensive test prep (which is why I help them, because it isn't actually my job and I don't get paid). I would love to see more opportunities for those who are disadvantaged by not having access to test prep or familiarity with the culture of applications, but I'm just not convinced from the descriptions I've read that these changes will accomplish that.