While there were changes to the expected distribution of questions in the March 2021 Verbal sections, the story for the Math sections was just the opposite: core question categories fell squarely within the expected frequency ranges. Despite a handful of changeups (new deliveries of old question types), this was a really “normal” test.

What do we mean by core Q categories? Each company will organize questions differently, but at University Select we try to organize them around a central principle or skill – such that you don’t get a million different math question types, but instead about 8 core skills or categories. So what are these central skills? Well, we can’t give away the store (!), but in skill categories relating to generation of linear equations, evaluation of functions, the use of a growth or decay curve, evaluating systems, etc. – everything pretty much lined up as expected based on our historical trend analysis of official sample and administered SAT Math sections.

That’s good news! We just need to continue to work to fold in the new deliveries of old question types into our existing “skills”, so that on test day, recognition and a more-or-less automatic sense of what to do on a question kicks in. Thanks and good luck!