Drop your pencil and grab your laptop: The SAT is going digital.
The College Board just announced that starting in 2024 for US students and 2023 for international students, the SAT and PSAT will be offered only in a digital format. So what does this mean for you? Read on to find out.
What else is different about the digital SAT?
It’s shorter: The new test will take only two hours instead of three. The reading sections will be shorter and more relevant to material students will likely read in college. Plus, the entire math section will allow the use of a calculator.
It’s more convenient: Though students won’t be allowed to take the test at home, it will be easier to take at school since schools won’t need to coordinate the ordering and returning of paper tests. Students will log into the test using their own device, or they can borrow one from their school or testing center. Scores will be available within days instead of weeks.
It’s adaptive: The reason the test is shorter is the use of adaptive testing, in which the test changes based on students’ answers. This makes testing more efficient by reducing the amount of time students spend on questions that are either too easy or too hard for them. It also means the new SAT is likely to feel much more difficult than the current version, since the test will continue to increase difficulty until you start to get questions wrong.
When do these changes go into effect?
Not for a couple of years, so US juniors and sophomores and international juniors can—and should—continue your current test preparation.
The first US test that will use the new format is the October 2023 PSAT, with the SAT making the transition in the spring of 2024. The first international test with the new format will take place in the spring of 2023.
US freshmen and international sophomores, you will be preparing for a very different kind of SAT—but the good news is that you have time, and support.
LogicPrep’s Tutors and Advisors have adapted to countless changes in the standardized testing landscape over the years, including the ACT’s transition to digital testing for international students in 2018. When it comes time to help you prepare for the digital SAT, we’ll be ready with the newest strategies to ensure your success.