The upcoming changes to the SAT, scheduled to roll out in March 2016, are affecting the advice high school counselors are giving their students about which college admissions exam to take -- the current SAT, new SAT or ACT® -- according to a new Kaplan Test Prep survey of 172 high school counselors*. However, specific recommendations vary.

A third (33%) say students should take more than one exam, which would help them figure out which of the three would most help them get into their choice colleges. Far fewer are recommending single test options: 6% of counselors are telling students to take the current version of the SAT early to avoid the changes, 6% are recommending students wait until after the SAT changes in March to take the test, and 16% are advising students to take the ACT instead. The remaining percentage say the SAT changes are not affecting their advice to students.

“We wanted to see how the upcoming SAT changes may be influencing the test-taking recommendations that high school counselors are making to their students, and we found that while they are definitely having an influence, there’s no strong consensus on which approach to take,” said Michael Boothroyd, contributing editor for Kaplan’s 5 Strategies for the New SAT. “Our view is that students will increase their competitive advantage by taking more than one test. The class of 2017 has the unique opportunity of taking the current version of the SAT this fall, then also seeing how they’d perform on the new SAT in March, plus also having the option of taking the ACT. As long as they plan ahead for it, this year’s sophomores have a one-time college application advantage of selecting their best score from three different admissions tests.”

Changes that will make the new SAT more rigorous: text-heavy math problems, a ban on calculator use for an entire section of math questions, 65 uninterrupted minutes of long passage reading, and an essay (optional by the test administrator, though required by many schools) that will demand thoughtful analysis of a long passage and explanation of how an author builds an argument.

For more information about Kaplan Test Prep’s survey of high school counselors, please contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or 212.453.7538. For more information about the upcoming changes to the SAT, visit Kaplan’s test change resource center at www.satchange.com. To view a 45-second video explaining the unique advantage that the Class of 2017 has when it comes to which college admissions exam to take, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QQOoyboVPo.

*The March-April 2015 e-survey includes responses from 172 high school counselors from across the United States. 59% describe their school’s setting as suburban, while 21% say urban; 19% say their high school is in a rural setting.

SAT® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this product. ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc., which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this product.

About Kaplan Test Prep

Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services. Additionally, Kaplan operates new economy skills training (NEST) bootcamps designed to provide immersive training in skills that are in high demand in today’s job market and prepare participants for hire.

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Graham Holdings Company (NYSE:GHC)