The SAT as we know it is dead, and a revamped version of the standardized test is expected to launch in March.

According to the College Board, which is responsible for the content and design of the exam, the changes were put in place to better prepare students for success in college.

Several details are getting a reboot, but we're giving you the five differences students are most likely to notice, and perhaps enjoy.

1. Optional essay

"We heard that some colleges, frankly, were using the essay and some were not," said Stacy Caldwell, vice president for college readiness assessments at the College Board.

So the written portion of the SAT is now optional and will be offered at the end of the exam. Students formerly had 25 minutes to write their essay; now they'll have 50 minutes.

Caldwell said the focus of the essay is getting a makeover as well. Before this relaunch, the essay portion set up an issue and asked students to take a side. Students would give an opinion and offer "facts" that could be completely fabricated, Caldwell said.

With the new format, students are given a passage to read and are asked to produce a written analysis of the text.

2. No more obscure vocabulary words

According to Caldwell, this may be the change that students, as well as their parents, enjoy most.

It gets rid of the need for kids to memorize definitions of words like 'prevaricate' and 'sagacious' with flashcards.

"We've gotten rid of those and we've replaced them with words like 'synthesis,' with a focus on how the author is using the terms," Caldwell said.

Essentially, the exam will now focus more on words that students will actually end up using in their lifetime.

3. Useful math only

The test now focuses on the areas of math that matter most for student success in first-year college courses, Caldwell said.

Students will see fewer geometry questions, for example, and be tested more on problem solving and algebraic equations.

"What you'll see is a lot of concepts that students would need in a biology course, in other courses across the curriculum, and less of a focus on other concepts that are not as well utilized," Caldwell said.

The new SAT will offer 10 more minutes for the mathematics section.

4. No guessing penalty

Up until now, "formula scoring" was used to grade the SAT. Basically, if you answered a question correctly, you earned points. If you answered incorrectly, you lost points. But your score wouldn't move if you left a question unanswered - no harm, no gain.

So students were commonly faced with a tough decision: guess at an answer and potentially lose points, or leave it blank and play it safe.

"We've gotten rid of the guessing penalty because we want folks focused on answering the question, rather than worrying about whether or not they should guess," Caldwell said.

5. Old school scoring

Returning to the way most of us remember, the SAT will be scored on a scale up to 1600.

In 2005, the exam shifted to a 2400 scale.

But now it's back to normal, offering students a score of up to 800 for both math and evidence-based reading and writing.

Essays will be scored separately. So a student can get a perfect score without even looking at the essay question.

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