There are no major changes this year. That may be good news or bad news. The scoop from here on the SAT test is that you really need to figure out what you want from it. A two-year local community college is truly the best choice for a student who needs time to figure out where she's going: it's economical, and it's accredited. There is no problem in transferring later to a four-year university. Best of all, admission does not require an SAT score.

Any other college is likely to ask for it. StudyBuddy has not so far met a student who did well on the SAT without intensively studying for it. Whether that intensive study needs a coach depends on the student. However, it's a certainty that taking the test more than once is a basic strategy that benefits everyone. That means that the school pays once and the parents pay once. For benefits, see this letter to the public from College Board's Vice President for Research. In it, the changes made last year are explained. Then, in a paragraph headlined Impact of Retesting on SAT Scores, this statement occurs: "The average student who takes the SAT a second time increases his or her score by approximately thirty percent."

We're dealing with a test of three sections and ten subsections. Critical Reading tests the ability to understand what is read; to see relationships in the parts of a sentence; and to identify the meaning of a word in context. Math tests ability in arithmetic, first year algebra, first year geometry, and data analysis. Writing tests the ability to identify grammatical errors in sentences, correct incoherent paragraph structure, and write an essay. Each section is scored on a scale of 200-800. The College Board website says the average score on each section is 500.

That score, along with grades above average in high school, will get most students accepted to any public state university (except Cal Poly, which draws applicants from everywhere and can accept only the outstanding ones). It will not result in admission to the University of California system. If the student is aiming for admission there, she will be judged about equally on the basis of five factors: grades, SAT scores, community service, involvement in sports or the arts, and the admission essay.

So find your path and go for it!