Fox Chapel junior Joe Buckley doesn't mind shelling out $799 for an SAT preparation class -- especially since the new test debuts in March.
"I'm taking both the old and the new test," said Buckley, 16. "I'm somewhat nervous about the new essay -- 25 minutes isn't much time to write."
Buckley is among millions of nervous high school juniors across the country signing up for SAT prep courses in record numbers to get a jump on the new test or to gain last-minute tips in taking the old test.
Kaplan Inc., a New York-based test preparation company, has seen a 78 percent increase in the number of students who take its free SAT practice tests online and big increases in its classroom courses, according to Jennifer Karan, director of SAT and ACT programs for Kaplan. Kaplan's main rival, The Princeton Review, has also seen a jump in participants.
"There is a large amount of concern and confusion among parents and students about the new test," Karan said. "We have definitely seen a tremendous increase in enrollment in our classroom courses."
Vincentian seniors Alecia Lally, 17, of Ross, and Evanee Frank, 16, of Hampton, are taking a Kaplan course for the second time because their scores went up more than 300 points after their first course. Both are glad they're not taking the new test this spring.
"I heard it's more fair," Frank said. "But I don't want to write an essay."
Lally said either test brings a lot of pressure.
"I think it's nerve-racking," Lally said, "because everyone emphasizes how important it is."
The new SAT will include a 25-minute essay, lengthening the 3-hour test by 45 minutes. In addition to the essay, the new writing section will include multiple-choice grammar questions and sentence-error identification.
Analogies have been eliminated, and short reading passages (100 words) will be added to the traditional longer reading passages (500 to 800 words) of the old verbal section. The math section is adding more advanced material, including some Algebra II concepts, but eliminating quantitative comparisons.
The top overall score will also rise from 1600 to 2400, and the test fee will increase to $41.50.
Thomas Jefferson High School junior Robin Hartle, 16, of Pleasant Hills, is taking her SAT this fall but didn't sign up for an expensive prep class.
"I heard it was harder. I was planning on taking my SATs this fall anyway, but I'm glad I'm taking them before the change," she said. "I think the change is bad. It's going to make kids more worried."
Terry Chan, 23, teaches a Kaplan SAT prep course. He said his current class addresses both the old and new tests.
"They are very similar tests," he said. "We teach the concepts towards what is going to be on the tests. If it's not on the test, we ignore it."
For those looking for an alternative, private tutors and schools like the Community College of Allegheny County offer courses. CCAC charges $85 for an 8-class program.
