One of the toughest parts of studying for either the SAT or the ACT is finding reliable practice material. At Aristotle Circle, we know that the very best material comes from the test-makers themselves. This is why we encourage our students to use the free practice tests available on CollegeBoard.com.

However…

However, it is important to be strategic about when to utilize these practice tests. The reality is, the material is extremely limited. There isn’t much out there that is trustworthy. This is why working with an Aristotle Circle tutor is your best bet for achieving a high score; our tutors help students plan when to take the practice tests while providing bespoke lesson plans in between to bolster the skills necessary to succeed.

So what’s new?

The CollegeBoard (makers of the SAT) have released four “new” practice tests (#7, #8, #9, and #10) on their digital test-taking software platform, BlueBook. Why is “new” in quotations? Because if you read the fine print, they aren’t really new.

Check out the language from their press release:

“We’ve made some changes and released additional SAT practice tests to provide students with the most relevant practice resources. Here’s what you’ll see in Bluebook:

• Practice Tests 1–3 have been removed from Bluebook, though students will retain their practice scores and feedback if they completed those tests before Feb. 3, 2025.
• In addition to current Practice Tests 4–6, students now also have access to four additional SAT practice tests: a brand-new Practice Test 7, and Practice Tests 8–10 which will include a mix of new questions and select questions from the former Practice Tests 1–3.
• PDF versions of Practice Tests 1–3 have been removed from College Board’s website and replaced with PDF versions of the updated Practice Tests 7–10.”

Wait, what?

You read that right. The CommonApp is recycling questions from Practice Tests 1-3 and using them in Practice Tests 8-10. The only 100% brand-new practice test is #7.

How does this affect students that are studying?

For students just beginning their SAT journey who have never used BlueBook before, fear not: you can proceed as planned.

For students who have been studying for a while and have already taken practice tests 1-3, be careful! You cannot trust the scores from tests 8-10 as an accurate reflection of your potential test-day score. Out of the newly released material, only test #7 will do that for you.

Try using tests 8-10 as practice, and then when you’re closer to test-day, use Practice Test #7 as a litmus test to see what your score will likely be.

Feeling overwhelmed?

Aristotle Circle is the premier college admissions consulting company. This means we’ve got you covered from tutoring to test prep, from essays to extracurriculars. Visit us online at http://www.aristotlecircle.com to learn more about our tutoring and college admissions counseling packages.