For most high schoolers, the SAT is the most feared test that anyone would take. With the pressure of getting a good score on a hard test, students tend to stress over the SAT. However, this year, there will be some changes with the test itself.

There have been some concerns with the new SAT. Along with the new SAT, a new PSAT was also released. Students that have taken the PSAT said that it has been harder than in previous years and most have said that the math section is the hardest.

The math section now deals with more word problems than previously, along with more problem solving and algebraic problems. The new language arts section has eliminated the obscure words and have now made the essay optional. However, just because the essay is now optional, doesn’t mean that colleges don’t want them anymore. Some colleges want to see the essays while some could care less. In the end, it depends on what the students want to do and which colleges they want to apply to.

In addition to these changes, the scoring for the overall test has gone back to the 400 to 1,600 scale, whereas the old one was 200 to 2,400.

For students that are taking the SAT before March, however, have a choice as to which SAT they want to take – new or old. Some students might take both and use the better of the two scores to send to the colleges they are going to apply to. Seniors will not get this opportunity, though.

However, senior Kimia Abadi said that the old SAT was, “A lot less difficult than I thought it would be. Like, it was really similar to a lot of standardized tests that I’ve already had. So, I was actually really prepared.”

The new SAT will be available to take this March. Until then, there are still opportunities for people to take the old SAT before the new one replaces it.