The SAT will no longer require an essay section, according to an announcement yesterday from the College Board about the 88-year-old test’s redesign.

The new SAT will return to a score out of 1600, and aims to be more accessible to students from all backgrounds. Updates to the test include the elimination of the essay, reading sections focused on students’ curriculum, and the option to take the test digitally.

Students will no longer be penalized for the wrong answers, vocabulary words will be restricted to words in common use in high school and college classrooms, and the College Board will partner with popular nonprofit tutoring website Khan Academy to provide free test prep.

The redesigned SAT will be implemented in 2016. In recent years, students taking college admissions tests have gravitated more than ever to the newer ACT test, which is shorter and has an optional essay.

How will colleges adapt to the new SAT? What is the best way to test students for college preparedness? Are essays and longer test segments a measurable part of the process? Are they fair? How will the SAT and college admissions programs continue to change?

Guest:

Eric Hoover, Senior Writer, Chronicle of Higher Education