Students will soon notice some changes to the SAT.

Starting Saturday, March 5, the SAT will undergo the biggest changes in ten years. It’s all in an effort to stack up with common core state standards and to better prepare students for college.

“I think it’s a good thing. I think it’s more related to what they’re learning in school today. I think it has more to do with current college readiness and careers,” said Kathy Stearns, executive director for Sylvan Learning in Wichita Falls.

Here are the 8 key changes under the redesigned SAT:

– Vocabulary: The test will no longer use obscure words. Students will notice words and phrases found in texts they commonly are used to seeing in everyday material.

– Evidence Based Reading and Writing: Students support answers with evidence found in a range of sources such as tables, charts and graphs.

– Math Coverage: The three categories of topics are Problem Solving & Data Analysis, the Heart of Algebra, and Passport to Advanced Math.

– Calculators: Calculators will only be allowed on a portion of the math section.

– Founding Documents and Great Global Conversation: Each test will include one text representing either an American historical document or global conversation about a topic. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address or the Declaration of Independence are some examples.

– Essay Portion: The essay is optional and students now have 50 minutes to complete it versus the 25 minutes they had before.

– Incorrect Answers: There is no penalty for wrong answers.

– Scoring: Score scale of 1600 with separate score for Essay portion.

– Newschannel 6