“Right now, students across the country are sitting down to take the redesigned SAT test for the first time. The new exam will include an optional essay, no penalty for guessing, and four instead of five options for multiple choice questions. So we thought we would let the TODAY anchors take a crack at it.”
Video
http://www.today.com/video/today-anchors-try-out-the-new-sat-test-637647939772
A pool contains 600 gallons of water. A hose is turned on, and water flows into the pool at the rate of 8 gallons per minute. How many gallons of water will be in the pool after 70 minutes?
I gave this problem to my 7th grade son. He solved it in 10 seconds in his head. Here is his comment:
“I did that 2 years ago in elementary school. Why are you asking me that now?”
Why is a problem like this on the SAT? Because that’s what TV anchors are able to do?
Is this going to open doors to Harvard? To whom?
The math on the new SAT seems to be, for many students, testing who can do the math they learned years ago without making mistakes. This particular question is really not the best - was it a real question from the March 5 SAT?
@VryCnfsd I don’t know if this question was really on the test, but I thought the anchors said it was.
The non-calc section is definitely testing (among other things) who remembers how to do elementary school arithmetic the fastest without a calculator. Is that an important skill for Harvard? Is that what we want our kids to be practicing?
Hey, I know a lot of good tricks for speed pencil arithmetic…
The worst part was that the male anchor’s answer was 538. Which is less than the amount that he started with in the pool before adding any water to it. It was embarrassing.
@2018Beastorwest
Yes, I noticed that too. I wasn’t sure if it was true or just to make the segment funnier. They didn’t want to make the women seem dumb. And no white guys…