For decades, the Scholastic Aptitude Test has been a source of tension and anxiety for American high school students. Recently, however, the SAT has been under fire. Many feel that the test does not offer students from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds the opportunity to excel. So these students may do well, changes in the format are being made.

By 1994, both the verbal and math sections of the SAT will be updated. In the verbal section, students may elect to write an analytical essay in order to display their talent for writing as well as their ability to answer multiple choice questions. The essay will test the student's literacy, as well as the student's ability to reason. Also, the wording of the vocabulary and grammar sections will be revamped in hopes of accommodating all students. Though the changes in the verbal section of the test will be small, the outcome is hoped to be great.

The changes in the math section will be much more obvious. Gone will be the multiple choice questions. Problems will have to be solved. The answers may no longer be randomly chosen. Fortunately, to aid the students, calculators may be used. The common conception is that students must know how to solve the problem in order to put the numbers into the calculator. The difficulty of the math will arise when the student does not have four answers from which to choose. The correct answer must be calculated.

Outwardly, the changes may seem subtle, but ultimately they will have long-range effects. Students of today may regret that the changes come too late for them. But tomorrow's students, regardless of their sex, economic status, or race, will have the chance to excel based truly on their aptitude. n