SAT tests have fewer vocab questions, shorter reading passages than 40 years ago: study
A new study has revealed changes to the reading portion of SAT exams taken by high schoolers around the country between the 1980s and today, with researchers noting shorter passages, a drop in vocabulary, and other trends.
The Johns Hopkins University’s Institute for Education Policy released the study sponsored by Thomas Aquinas College on Thursday. TAC Vice President and Dean Emeritus John J. Goyette said of the results, “The makers of the SAT seem to believe that the ability to tackle long and complex literary works isn’t an important skill for college students anymore. Sadly, given the state of modern higher education, they’re probably right.”
The report examined the reading section of the SAT as presented in 1980, 1987, and 2026 practice tests. The researchers found that there was a greater emphasis on knowing a broader range of vocabulary in the older tests, substantially shorter reading passages in the new one, differences in the types of reading passages given, and a lesser emphasis on prerequisite reading knowledge in the newer test.
The researchers said that the newer tests have fewer questions, “no stand-alone vocabulary items,” four answers on multiple choice questions rather than five, and just one question per reading passage.
The study found that the 1980s tests paced a greater emphasis on vocabulary knowledge compared to the new test, with 70.6 percent of the questions focusing on vocabulary in the older tests, while just 15 percent focused on the same in the new test.
“More specifically, the old SATs required students to know many vocabulary terms independently, mainly through 45 analogy and antonym questions. Each old SAT also included an additional 15 questions that provided some context and required students to fill in one or two blanks. In contrast, the SAT 2026 (Bundle 6) includes only 10 vocabulary questions, all of which provide sentence context and require filling in only one blank.”
The study concluded that the changes noticed between the tests was a result of “redistribution rather than simple reduction,” adding, “the SAT’s reading section has been redesigned rather than simply relaxed.” It stated, “None of these findings is decisive on its own, and a content analysis alone cannot establish a change in difficulty.”
“Taken together, however, they point to the test becoming less demanding along the dimensions we examined — its vocabulary and background-knowledge expectations of the test taker and the amount of text it asks students to read.”