The newest version of the SAT, debuting this Saturday, has done what: A) Create a new level of angst among high school students, B) Sow debate and confusion among college admissions officers, C) Trigger a boom among test-prep companies, or D) all of the above.

The correct answer would be "D."

Starting Saturday, the SAT will undergo one of its biggest changes in years with the addition of an essay question.

Actually, the estimated 330,000 students who will take the new exam will see several changes. In addition to an essay students will get 25 minutes to write, the old analogies such as 'loud is to quiet as light is to dark,' are gone; the algebra is more advanced; and the overall time for the exam has grown from 3 to 3 hours. The scoring range is also changing due to the essay. Rather than a point scale of 800 to 1600, the new exam will go from 1600 to 2400.

Thanks to the changes, high school students nationwide have been practicing their rapid-essay skills rather than analogies.

"We're writing a lot," said Cleveland Smith, 18, a senior at Troy's Redemption Christian Academy, a private school that focuses on a college-prep program. "It's going to be tougher," Smith predicted, noting that at least the old analogies provided a level of certainty if you knew the meanings of the words.

That's not to say vocabulary skills won't matter on the new essay. Stevan Abelson, a test coach who runs Abelson & Associates and is working with Redemption Christian Academy, said it's OK to use a bit of verbiage in the essays.

"You have to use some flashy words," Abelson told a group of students during a recent session.

Other nuggets of essay advice: Don't spend more than five minutes planning or outlining the essay and, of course, write legibly.

Adding an essay makes sense because writing is an essential skill for any college student, according to The College Board, the nonprofit group that runs the SAT.

Moreover, colleges have long complained about the lack of writing ability among students, said College Board spokeswoman Caren L. Scoropanos. The essay is designed to encourage schools to focus on that skill.

The College Board has been planning to add essays for more than a decade, she explained, but only recently has the technology been available to allow for mass essay scoring.

The handwritten essays will be scanned and then sent by secure Internet connection to "raters," who are often moonlighting teachers and can grade the documents at home, said Scoropanos.

While the new essay has doubtlessly incited students to hone their authorial skills, it's not clear how many colleges will immediately employ the essay in their selection process.

Scoropanos said more than 400 colleges want their applicants to write the essays.

But many won't use the essay grades in their selection process.

For example, UAlbany, along with numerous schools in the Northeast, doesn't plan to count the essay results, at least for the first couple of years.

"My impression is that the wait-and-see attitude that you are seeing is pretty widely shared," said Barnak Assirian, associate executive director for the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

Looking ahead to when they do count the essays, however, most colleges say students preparing for the test should approach the updated writing portion seriously.

That's what Smith and his classmates at Redemption Christian Academy were doing last week as Abelson ran them through a question-and-answer session about how to prepare for the essay, which will be graded on a 6-point scoring system.

"We want to sell a '6.' A perfect score," Abelson said.