As the end of the year approaches, the junior class begins to put years of preparation and apprehension to the test — literally. With college applications less than a year away, juniors must endure the grueling process of taking one of the several hours-long standardized tests required of them. This time around, however, something new has been added to the equation. Starting in March, juniors became the guinea pigs for a revamped SAT® after the College Board® decided that the test was due for an update. In theory, the new test is less of an aptitude test and more similar to the SAT®’s counterpart, the ACT®. While some have responded favorably to the change, others are avoiding taking the test altogether due to its alpha state.

For years, the SAT® has been perhaps the largest hurdle between students and colleges of their choice. When the test was first conceived in 1926, it was designed to be an aptitude test — an examination that would determine one’s innate ability. In other words, you didn’t have to study.

However, even then, companies like Kaplan and Princeton Review were offering test preparation that would ensure a better score on the SAT®. Eventually, it became clear that those who could afford the pricey services of these companies generally received better scores on the test. Those who were unable to pay were left behind.

Then, when David Coleman became the president of the College Board® in 2012, he made it a top priority to make the SAT® affordable for those who couldn’t pay for test prep. One method he used was aligning the test curriculum with that of high schools, ensuring that students could study for the test by simply paying attention in class.

Starting in 1959, the ACT® has provided an alternative to the SAT®; but for decades, the SAT® was still the preferred test for most high school students. Recently, however, the ACT® has emerged as an equal competitor. And, now that the revamped SAT® is more similar to the ACT®, students have been faced with a new decision.

So, is the new SAT® a better choice for juniors and future test takers? The changes have created no clear consensus.

“I haven’t taken the new SAT® and don’t plan on doing so,” junior Jordan Seibel said. “I found the new SAT® almost identical to the ACT® in structure and skills tested.”

Junior Galaan Abdissa expressed a similar sentiment.

“The questions did reflect what we learned in school, the math part at least,” Abdissa said.

Yet, the SAT®’s roots as an aptitude examination have not died.

“The English portion of the test mainly focused on testing our critical reading skills, rather than testing us on 60 vocab words,” Abdissa said.

To some, the math section of the test also continues to differ from that of the ACT®.

“I think it was more of an aptitude test,” junior Daniel Allen said. “There was a lot of stuff in the math section that I would say did not reflect what I learned recently.”

Added to the fact that the SAT® might not have changed much at all, many are opting simply not to take it. It’s a new test, and the lack of study materials has made it so that the ACT® has become a more viable choice for many students.

“I don’t plan on taking the new SAT® because there wouldn’t be any previous versions I could study off of,” junior Joshua Lee said. “At the moment, the ACT® is a better bet for me because there are tons of guides for it online.”

Others believe that the new test will give college admissions officers a headache.

“I’m not taking it,” junior Llewyn St. John said. “Colleges have nothing to compare it to because it’s new.”

Even for those taking both, the ACT® might still be the more viable option, again due to simple the fact that the ACT® has been around for longer.

“I do plan on taking the SAT®,” sophomore Amir Ebtehadj said. “However, I believe that [test] prep companies have more experience with the current ACT® versus the SAT®, and that might be a potential choice.”

For others, though, the ACT® is simply the better test to take.

“I’ve decided not to take the SAT® and instead have opted for the ACT®,” junior Ejiro Agege said. “When I began all the test prep, I narrowed it down by comparison. Overall, the ACT® just seemed a lot more reasonable.”

On the other hand, junior Renata Robins has for now opted to go with the SAT®; she feels that there is enough practice material offered online.

“All in all, I felt prepared,” she said. “But when I actually took the test … the problems were more time consuming. I felt confident, but it wasn’t a piece of cake.”

The release of the new SAT® has yielded no clear consensus so far. It seems as if many juniors, and then sophomores will avoid taking the new test until there is more prep material. However, the test still remains a viable option for some.