Taking a standardized test isn’t the most pleasant experience. You sit in a room for several hours filling in little bubbles in a race to finish, are restricted to only a few breaks and then wait for your scores. The standardized testing norm in the U.S. is an unhealthy system that ranks intelligence based only off how good a student is at English and math skills on a specific day, early in a morning. While standardized tests themselves are an issue, the College Board recently took a step in the right direction when they decided to redesign the SAT.

The new test, which will be implemented in spring of 2016, will test on much more relevant content and skills. To start, they are ditching the bogus vocabulary in favor of more useful words. In the reformed test, useful words used in college classes, like “synthesis” and “empirical,” will take the place of obscure ones. A common argument against this change that I have heard is that it will “dumb down” the test and cause a “lack of discipline and learning.” Yes, students will spend less time studying SAT vocabulary. This provides more time for students to study something more useful than definitions of obscure words; they can focus on learning strategies for the test and college or use the time to study for their classes.

Another great change is the removal of the penalty for wrong answers. This encourages students to try their best and take a guess. By penalizing wrong answers, the current SAT is teaching students that it’s better to be silent than to be incorrect, which is a harmful concept for learning. The best way to problem-solve is to brainstorm all possible solutions, not remain silent out of fear of being wrong. It also promotes procrastination, because writing nothing is better than something bad, according to this idea. This change should promote a more productive, creative frame of mind.

The SAT has often been criticized for discrimination based on financial class. While the changes the College Board is making probably won’t eliminate the class gap in scores and college opportunities, they are definitely making improvements. When the new test is implemented, the College Board will also start a program that will allow low-income SAT test-takers to apply to four colleges of their choice for free. This is a great program that will hopefully lead to more equality within standardized testing.

Even though the College Board is changing the SAT for the better, standardized tests like the SAT and ACT still promote the idea that intelligence is defined by a number and limited to math and English knowledge. While there is not a good substitute for a measurement of basic skills, it would be best if standardized tests weighed less in decisions of college and scholarship acceptance. The College Board has taken a step, hopefully the first of many, in a direction towards more practicality and less disregard for creativity.