Only an SAT tutor would become excited at the prospect of new SAT tests to take. But here we are, and I’m excited! College Board has retired Tests 1-3 from Bluebook and added Tests 7-10 in their stead. Now, students have seven up-to-date practice tests, Tests 4-10. Tests 1-3 were increasingly criticized for being too easy and thus not reflective of the student experience on test day. From my work with students, I agree with that criticism.
Test 7 is a completely new practice test, one I believe was given in 2024 based on the vocabulary words from the Verbal questions (“spurious,” anyone?). Tests 8-10 incorporate many of the questions from Tests 1-3, so Tests 8-10 are not entirely new, but these tests also include new questions. In the Verbal section, the new reading comprehension questions are notably harder than the questions they are replacing.
College Board recently sent out an email saying that students should consider taking a full practice test at some point before the March 8th exam if they are taking that exam. I agree with that sentiment. Test 7 might be your best bet here, since it’s completely new, but the other new tests will work just as well.
Between the practice tests and the Question Bank, College Board is doing an excellent job providing students with sufficient practice material to fully prepare for the SAT. When I look over the new tests, what stands out is the number of repeat questions in Math, questions that have different numbers but are otherwise exact copies of questions from the Bluebook tests. If students comprehensively cover those practice tests, they will almost certainly see questions they have encountered before on real exam. It’s a huge advantage. Free, easy access has never been better.
It’s more straightforward than ever to prepare for the SAT. With the right practice, students can predictably improve their scores. And with more and more colleges returning to test-required admissions – Wisconsin being the latest, starting with the class entering in 2027 – a good test score is gaining in importance.
Our tutors know the Bluebook material inside and out and can provide excellent prospects for score improvement. We’d love to help you. If you haven’t already, give us a call!
