2016 marks the first year that the new format of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) will be given to students. The test debuts in March and will have many positive changes, making it more effective and purposeful overall.

The current SAT, known for its confusing riddles, will be abandoned for a much more straightforward exam, focusing on actual curriculum that students have learned based upon the Common Core program. Junior Kannan Freyaldenhoven, who has taken the current SAT once, described it saying “it had math, writing, and reading sections, as well as an essay part,” but that is all changing. The new SAT will only have two sections: Math and Evidence Based Reading and Writing, with the essay portion being optional. Each of these sections will be scored on a 200-800 scale. It will also be easier for students in that instead of narrowing down their answer from five options, there will only be four.

However, even though all these changes may seem like major improvements, according to The New York Times there are still “mixed reviews.” One major downside of the new SAT is that if your school hasn’t done a good job of teaching you the full curriculum, you are at a major disadvantage, whereas the current SAT is based more on critical thinking. The new SAT could also be negative for people who don’t read often, as the new test will have much more reading for students to do. “Even the math section will require more reading with fewer questions based on equations and more word problems.”

Overall, the new SAT will bring great change for future students going through the college application process.

In another piece of SAT related news, senior Sam Pal scored a perfect 2400 on the test this year.