"I've taken it twice," says Eric, 17. "My best [score] was like a 1080."

Geoff, also 17, says, "I'm looking for a 1300."

The prospect of taking the SAT scares most college-bound students.

"My future is at stake!" declares Sasha.

"I don't really like taking tests, and [I] especially don't like the verbal section," says Eric, 17.

Now students can add to their anxiety the College Board's announcement that the SAT will undergo several new changes that college educators hope will more accurately measure what students know.

"They wanted to eliminate those things that seemed no longer relevant and add some things that are more closely related to [the student's] curriculum," says SAT expert Wendi Deen-Johnson.

Analogies and quantitative comparisons will be dropped from the new SAT format. And the test will now be comprised of three sections: reading, math (including for Algebra II) and writing (which includes an essay).

"I think with multiple choice, there is a little more slack to it because you can narrow things down," Geoff says. "But with a written essay, it's gonna be a little more trying."

The good news for students is that they have time to prepare for the upcoming changes, which won't take effect until March 2005. In the meantime, experts recommend that students take challenging courses, read, write and then read some more.

"The more they are challenged on a daily basis, the more critical thinkers they're gonna be and the better they'll perform on a test like this," Deen-Johnson says.

By Kim Ogletree
CWK Network, Inc.

Anxiety stemming from standardized tests is not uncommon among today's teens. In fact, the Reality Check 2002 poll conducted by Public Agenda shows that 73% of surveyed students said they get nervous before taking a test while 5% said they become too nervous to even take the test. But these anxiety-ridden students may soon have less to worry about as the College Board prepares to change the SAT so that it more closely reflects what students learn and how they learn it.

The major test changes, which will be implemented in March 2005, include the following:

• The verbal reasoning section will be renamed "critical reading." Analogies will be dropped. In their place will be short passages aimed at gauging reading ability. Passages will come from academic disciplines, such as science, history, literature and popular texts.
• The math section will gradually add problems from third-year high school math, specifically, Algebra II. Quantitative comparisons, in which test-takers use an algebraic equation to compare the volumes of similar geometric objects, will be dropped.
• A two-part writing test will be introduced: One part will consist of multiple-choice questions, and the other will be an essay question.
• Each section will be graded on a scale of 200 to 800 points, just like the current SAT. But with three sections, the highest possible score will be 2400.
• Students will have 3.5 hours to complete the new SAT tests, compared with about three hours currently allotted.

The new changes represent the second time in a decade in which the SAT has been revamped. In 1994, antonyms were eliminated, reading was emphasized in the verbal section, nonmultiple-choice questions appeared on the math test and calculators were permitted. But critics fear that these changes, specifically the addition of an essay question, will penalize students for whom English is not a native language.

Since the new test will place the highest emphasis on reading, mathematics and writing, College Board officials say that the best way for students to prepare is by taking challenging courses and reading and writing as much as possible. They also recommend that students familiarize themselves with the types of questions that will be on the new SAT by studying sample questions that can be obtained for free.

The University of Illinois Extension says that most students experience some level of anxiety during an exam, and this anxiety is due to a variety of reasons:

• Poor time management
• Failure to organize information
• Poor study habits
• Negative test-taking experience
• Low self-confidence
• Negative attitude about school

According to the State University of New York at Buffalo, children who frequently experiences test anxiety also worry about the future and become extremely self-critical. Instead of feeling challenged by the prospect of success, they become afraid of failure. This makes them anxious about tests and their own abilities. And ultimately, they become so worked up that they feel incompetent about the subject matter or the test.

The National PTA says that it does not help to tell your child to relax, to think about something else or stop worrying about standardized tests. But you can help your child reduce test anxiety and prepare for tests like the SAT by encouraging the following actions:

• Space studying over days or weeks. (Real learning occurs through studying that takes place over a period of time.) Understand the information and relate it to what is already known. Review it more than once. By doing this, your child should feel prepared at exam time.
• Don't "cram" the night before - cramming increases anxiety, which interferes with clear thinking. Get a good night's sleep. Rest, exercise and eating well are as important to test taking as they are to other schoolwork.
• Read the directions carefully when the instructor hands out the test. If you don't understand them, ask the teacher to explain.
• Look quickly at the entire examination to see what types of questions are included (multiple choice, matching, true/ false, essay, etc.) and, if possible, the number of points for each. This will help you pace yourself.
• If you don't know the answer to a question, skip it and go on. Don't waste time worrying about it. Mark it so you can identify it as unanswered. If you have time at the end of the exam, return to the unanswered question(s).

As a parent, you can be a great help to your child if you observe these do's and don'ts about tests and testing from the U.S. Department of Education:

• Don't be too anxious about your child's test scores. If you put too much emphasis on test scores, this can upset your child.
• Do encourage your child. Praise him or her for the things he or she does well. If your child feels good about himself or herself, he or she will do his or her best. Children who are afraid of failing are more likely to become anxious when taking tests and more likely to make mistakes.
• Don't judge your child on the basis of a single test score. Test scores are not perfect measures of what your child can do. Other factors might influence a test score. For example, your child can be affected by the way he or she is feeling, the setting in the classroom and the attitude of the teacher. Remember, also, that one test is simply one test.
• Meet with your child's teacher as often as possible to discuss his or her progress. Ask the teacher to suggest activities for you and your child to do at home to help prepare for tests and improve your child's understanding of schoolwork. Parents and teachers should work together to benefit students.
• Make sure your child attends school regularly. Remember, tests do reflect children's overall achievement. The more effort and energy your child puts into learning, the more likely he or she will do well on tests.
• Provide a quiet, comfortable place for studying at home.
• Make sure that your child is well rested on school days and especially the day of a test. Children who are tired are less able to pay attention in class or to handle the demands of a test.
• Give your child a well-rounded diet. A healthy body leads to a healthy, active mind.
• Provide books and magazines for your child to read at home. By reading new materials, your child will learn new words that might appear on a test. Ask your child's school about a suggested outside reading list or get suggestions from the public library.

College Board
National PTA
Public Agenda
State University of New York at Buffalo
University of Illinois Extension
U.S. Department of Education