NATIONWIDE — The College Board, which is the organization that helps administer the SAT, announced on Jan. 25 that the SAT will be delivered digitally in the U.S., beginning in 2024.
Back in November of last year, the organization previously tested the digital SAT in the U.S. and internationally. It published that the new digital format has received a positive response from both students and educators.
According to the College Board’s website, “80% of students responded that they found it to be less stressful and 100% of educators reported having a positive experience.”
The digital switch affects the entire SAT Suite of Assessments which consists of the SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, PSAT 8/9.
What stays the same?
Although this affects the way the test is delivered, the actual format and process of taking the test will still remain relatively unchanged.
According to the College Board, the test will still be scored on a 1600 scale, and educators as well as students will still be able to continue to track over time growth across the SAT Suite of Assessments.
The assessments are still going to be administered in a school or in a test center with a proctor present, and the College Board published that there will not be at-home test-taking.
What’s Changing?
The digital SAT will be shorter.
The test is going from three hours to about two hours, and according to the College Board website, “The digital format will feature shorter reading passaged with one question tied to each, and the passages will reflect a wider range of topics that represent the works students read in college.”
Also, calculators will be allowed on the entire Math section of the SAT.
According to the College Board, students will be able to use their own device (laptop or tablet) or a school-issued device. If students don’t have a device to use, the College Board will provide one for use on test day. Also, if for some reason a student loses connectivity or power with their digital device, the digital SAT has been designed to ensure they won’t lose their work or time while they reconnect.
The College Board states that the digital switch will make the SAT more secure. With a digital format, every student will receive a unique test form. Thus, making it impossible to share answers or having a whole group of students’ tests compromised.
More information on the SAT can be found on the College Board website.
