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Has the SAT changed a lot since 2015?


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Dd is preparing to take the SAT next month, and she has done the exact same math progression as older ds - Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II. He did above average (can't remember what his exact score was but it was in around the 70th percentile) when he took the SAT in spring 2015, having not taken any Trigonometry or higher level math. Obviously she's a different person and may not score as well. That's not the issue. She's doing Khan Academy to prepare, and says that she has absolutely no idea on most of the questions - that they're all Trigonometry, which she hasn't studied. I'm wondering if the SAT exam has changed to be far heavier in Trig than it was in 2015 or if maybe Khan Academy is giving her those questions because she seemed to have mastered the majority of the other materials when she did the placement exam on their site. I don't want her to stress out about the SAT, as she can take it again in the autumn. I just want to know how to reassure her - that either she needs to just do the best she can on the topics she knows and try to guess on the others (LOL) - because she can work on the Trig over the summer and retake, or that she doesn't need to worry because there won't be as much Trig on the exam as there is on Khan at the moment. Hope the question makes sense. Thanks for your help.

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10% might be "other" topics including geometry & trig. There is a section on Khan that talks about what types of math are included.

The actual breakdown varies, of course, a little from test to test. I would encourage her to use Khan to learn more about the problems she's stumped on. It is possible there is an easy way to solve a problem using the math she already knows, but she doesn't see it. The explanation on Khan Academy should always be read, and, if possible, she should try to do the problem again after reading the solution and watching a related Khan video or two.

Edited by RootAnn
Typos!
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I'm not sure how different it is...my dd is also using Khan Academy to study for the May SAT.  She's telling me that a lot of the questions are the exact same questions from Mathusee (that's what we're mostly using for high school math).

We're not doing Trig, either.  She's getting ready to start Statistics.  

Have you seen one of the free practice tests?  You could browse through and look at the math questions...

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The SAT was redesigned in 2016 to include significantly more higher math - like trigonometry. There is less geometry, and more statistics.  I could not find any discussion of the changes on the College Board site, maybe it is old news now.  

But you can read this article on PrepScholar (the same site linked above) and search for more on their blog if you need more details.

https://blog.prepscholar.com/new-sat-vs-old-sat-quick-summary

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14 hours ago, LJPPKGFGSC said:

The SAT was redesigned in 2016 to include significantly more higher math - like trigonometry. There is less geometry, and more statistics.  I could not find any discussion of the changes on the College Board site, maybe it is old news now.  

But you can read this article on PrepScholar (the same site linked above) and search for more on their blog if you need more details.

https://blog.prepscholar.com/new-sat-vs-old-sat-quick-summary

This is good to know. Thanks.

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I would look at actual tests, this book has 5 actual tests:

https://www.amazon.com/Official-SAT-Study-Guide-2018/dp/1457309289/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XZFNX9CSP09JXE6BNQDS

I think most of the trig is usually simple 

Soh...
Sine = Opposite / Hypotenuse
...cah...
Cosine = Adjacent / Hypotenuse
...toa
Tangent = Opposite / Adjacent

which you can teach in less than an hour, then do a few problems a day to keep in fresh, then weekly once it is automatic...

 
The panda book has good explanations on how to teach each type of math problem, then practice problems grouped by type of problem.  The ACT one was useful for us, I did not get the SAT one but I'm sure it's just as good.
 
Edited by ElizabethB
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