(MONEY Magazine) – Since March, more than 800,000 college-bound youngsters have worn down their No. 2 pencils on the revamped Scholastic Assessment Test (its old middle name was Aptitude), and the buzz is clear. The much maligned SAT has been tuned up but hardly overhauled. The nonprofit College Board, which has administered the test for 68 years, insists that the new format puts greater emphasis on reading and reasoning and requires more critical thinking. Skeptics point out, however, that two-thirds of the exam' s math section and three-fourths of the verbal have not been changed, and the rest isn't much different from the old version. The new test is still made up almost entirely of multiple-choice questions. Nonetheless, the exam now requires a bit more thinking. In the verbal section, for instance, questions about reading passages account for more than half the test, compared with roughly 30% in the old version, and the 25-item quiz on antonyms has been eliminated. Ten of the 60 math questions require students to come up with their own answers instead of picking one from a list of five. To accommodate the extra rumination, test takers will be allowed 75 minutes per section, compared with 60 minutes on the old test. In addition, students can now use calculators, since the new SAT, like the old one, is supposed to test mathematical reasoning, not computational skills. Has tinkering made the SAT more difficult? No, says the College Board. "I think the extra reading makes the verbal section look harder and, because calculators are permitted, the math section looks easier," says Lisa Bartl, an associate director of the reformulation project. "But both parts have been adjusted to the same level of difficulty as before." Nor will the new test end the long debate between the College Board, which insists that the SAT measures reasoning ability, and many critics, who scoff that its multiple-choice format makes it easy for test takers to guess their way to enviable scores. Even the College Board acknowledges that simply retaking the test often raises a student's score 10 points or more. The Board also admits that guessing can help and that 20 to 40 hours of preliminary coaching can lift scores as much as 50 points. That's a far cry, however, from the lofty claims of 120 points made by publishers of SAT review books and videos and sponsors of cram courses such as Stanley Kaplan Educational Center and the Princeton Review, which charge as much as $645 for their services. Still, there's nothing wrong in having your child retake the SAT (cost: $21 a pop), especially if he or she tends to freeze up during important exams. And no one denies that mastering the SAT's format and instructions in advance can save time, giving a test taker precious extra minutes to answer questions. The College Board sends out free guides to the SAT, including sample tests, to anyone who signs up for the exam. Or your child can take a brushup course, free at many high schools. If your child prefers self-study, you can buy one of a dozen or more books for $10 or $15 that offer useful vocabulary and math drills as well as advice on improving test scores. No matter how your child chooses to bone up for the SATs, here are the three prime insider tricks that coaching companies and many test takers say are likely to add points to his or her score: -- Except in the reading section, questions always go from easiest to hardest. Therefore, assume that the quick and obvious choice is the right one early on but almost always a trap in later questions. -- Easy questions earn just as many points as hard ones, so skip those that give you trouble to be certain of getting to all the sure shots. Then, if you have time left, you should go back to the hard ones. -- You lose points for wrong answers, so don't guess blindly. If you can narrow the odds by eliminating one or two obviously wrong choices, though, guessing among the remaining ones can pay off. In the reading passages, for instance, immediately rule out any responses that are sexist, racist or otherwise politically incorrect.

And, parents, urge your child to relax. Remember, this is not a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity. Students can take the test as many times as they please.