Metro Atlanta high school students will be taking a new version of the SAT college entrance exam on Saturday.

Students and parents are feeling anxious about the new version of the highstakes test and have beefed up test-preparation efforts as a result.

For the first time in nearly a decade, the SAT is changing its format, which will hew closer to the reading and math curriculum used in students' classrooms. The change is an effort to focus on the skills students need most for college readiness.

Students who do well on the SAT boost their chances of getting into top colleges and earning HOPE scholarships, part of which hinges on SAT scores.

For several months now, school counselors and administrators in Georgia and throughout the U.S. have tried to prepare students for the SAT changes, offering more opportunities for tutoring and practice taking the new test.

The new SAT exam will call on students to think more analytically in reading, writing and math, to show how they can use and interpret evidence to solve problems, according to Georgia Department of Education officials.

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Sheree Smith (left) casts her ballot at Wolf Creek Library in Atlanta on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. In addition to municipal races for mayors, city councils and school board members, this year’s election also will decide the members of the Georgia Public Service Commission. (Miguel Martinez / AJC)

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Public Service Commission candidate Peter Hubbard gets a hug from Brionté McCorkle, executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters, during an election-night party in Southwest Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.  (Ben Gray for the AJC)

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