The New Digital SAT

The College Board has recently announced a major overhaul of the SAT intended to make the test both more secure and more student-friendly. These changes will be introduced in 2024 in the US and 2023 internationally, impacting current high school freshmen in the US and current sophomores abroad. Key changes include:

>>>  The test will be digital, versus the traditional paper and pencil format and adaptive by section based on the student’s answers. (Students who answer more questions correctly will see more difficult questions.) Therefore, students in the same test room will be taking very different tests, depending on how they did on the earlier sections.

>>>  The test will be shorter in length (~2 hours versus ~3).

>>>  Students will have more time to answer each question.

>>>  Calculators will be allowed for all math sections and the test includes a built-in calculator, eliminating the need for students to bring one and the risk of calculator failure.

>>>  Scores will be returned within days, rather than weeks, and will use the same scale (up to 800 on each of the two areas – Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and Math.)

After the global pilot of this new digital SAT in November, students who participated said it was a less stressful test experience than the existing paper and pencil test, which is a positive sign.

Regardless of how standardized tests are administered, they can highlight a student’s strengths and reinforce their in-school performance. We encourage students to prepare for and take standardized tests as they can be a meaningful component of their college application.

Want to learn more about the new digital SAT?
Here’s what College Board has to say about it.