Standardized Testing
A dramatization of the scrap paper used during an SAT exam.
The SAT has been a commonplace occurrence in many public high schools across the United States since its introduction in 1926.
The College Board, an American non-profit organization, owns the SAT. Its website contains information about the company, exams, and– as the name implies– colleges. According to one of their articles, the SAT measures “what you learn in high school” as well as “what you need to succeed in college.”
The SAT once stood for “Scholastic Aptitude Test,” but was later changed to “Scholastic Assessment Test.” Now, the abbreviation just simply stands for “SAT” or, as some students may call it, “Suffering And Torture.”
The exam has five sections: reading, writing/grammar, math without a calculator, math with a calculator, and a section that could be any one of the four prior-mentioned ones. The reading section tends to be the longest, regarding the amount of time given to complete it. A rather recent but short-lived section of the test was the essay section. It was included as part of the SAT for about 16 years. Although initially (re-)introduced in 2005, the essay was later discontinued in June of 2021.
The SAT, though heavily altered from its original form in 1926, remains to be commonly taken by students as a college entrance exam. The College Board has a history of altering the format and content on the test, but only time will tell us what the next change may be to come.
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