<P> On March 5 , 2014 , the College Board announced its plan to redesign the SAT in order to link the exam more closely to the work high school students encounter in the classroom . The new exam was administered for the first time in March 2016 . Some of the major changes are : an emphasis on the use of evidence to support answers , a shift away from obscure vocabulary to words that students are more likely to encounter in college and career , a math section that is focused on fewer areas , a return to the 1600 - point score scale , an optional essay , and the removal of penalty for wrong answers ( rights - only scoring ) . To combat the perceived advantage of costly test preparation courses , the College Board announced a new partnership with Khan Academy to offer free online practice problems and instructional videos . </P>
when did the sat become out of 1600
2016