The New SAT: (a) Ready or (b) Not?

The new college admissions test makes its debut in March, with changes in format, content, test time and more. It will be given in 10 sections and last 3 hours 45 minutes. (Mary Ann Chastain -- AP)

The new SAT debuts in March, much to the trepidation of many high school students and their parents.

The new college admissions test will have some significant changes, including the addition of a 25-minute written essay, and a multiple-choice writing section that tests a student's grammar skills.

Other changes include the elimination of analogies (Pencil: Paper), which will be replaced with short, paragraph-length reading passages, including one short paired paragraph.

And though grammar and usage will be tested, students will not be asked to define or use grammatical terms. Spelling and capitalization will also not be tested.

The math section will eliminate quantitative comparisons (Is xy greater than 2xy, less than 2xy, equal to 2xy, etc.). It will include some advanced math, covering topics in Algebra II, some modern math, statistics, probability and data analysis.

Some key things will remain the same. The test will still measure reasoning ability and problem-solving skills. The other parts of the test will still contain some long and shorter reading passages, two contrasting passages, and math questions similar to those in the past.

There will be a range of three scores, each from 200 to 800, for Writing, Math and Critical Reading. The total possible score will be 2400.

The new test will be 10 sections given in 3 hours 45 minutes, compared with three hours for the current test.

Test dates are March 12, May 7, June 4, Oct. 8, Nov. 5 and Dec. 3.

Below are 16 questions that give you some example of what to expect. Give yourself 16 minutes to answer them.

CRITICAL READING: Seven questions. Give yourself eight minutes.

Sentence Completion. Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate choice:

1. The instructor displayed extreme stubbornness; although he ___ the logic of the student's argument, he ___ to acknowledge her conclusion as correct.

(A) accepted/refused

(B) concluded/consented

(C) denounced/declined