The October 2020 SAT Reading Test saw some pretty significant changes, not only in terms of the frequency of questions types (how many times a question type appears on the test), but also in terms of the format of the question types.
CHANGE IN FREQUENCY
Questions that tell the reader where they can find the answer in the passage was at an all time high of any administered test (since the SAT was overhauled to it’s current format). A total of 19 questions had line reference.
While the number of vocabulary questions was slightly higher (+1) than average, it was the number of questions that ask about a detail in the passage but provide the location of that detail that was significantly higher. In fact it was the second highest of all tests in the Official Guide and on administered tests, save Practice Test 1.
On the flip side, questions that ask about details in the passage but do not include a line reference dropped significantly, following more closely to the numbers in the Official Guide (11 questions on average) versus administered tests (16 questions on average).
The implication for this flip is significant:
It suggests that students must fundamental alter their strategy from hunting for answers to carefully analyzing the text. It seems that on this test the College Board went back to the early trends of the SAT at it’s overhaul and away from its more recent trends towards the ACT’s format.
CHANGE IN FORMAT
For one detail question that gave the reader the line reference - the reader was asked to critique the writer. This is astoundingly novel. The SAT Reading Section typically asks the reader to ascertain the author’s meaning - not offer their own analysis. This is a fundamental departure from the SAT’s method for Reading.
Vocabulary questions for the first time asked the reader the difference in meaning for the same word used in two different places in the passage. The reader had to pick two correct meanings.
For one evidence question - the reader was asked to pick the evidence laid out in the answers choices, rather than picking particular sentences from the passage itself.
What this means for the SAT Reading Test and how students should prepare is significant:
The October SAT Reading Test runs counter to well established test trends. We will need to keep a careful eye on it for potentially significant strategy modifications.