On 25 January 2022, the College Board announced that the SAT will be going completely digital beginning Spring 2023. SAT will move from paper-based to entirely computer-based. Let us look at what the new digital SAT exam will bring.
As more institutions and students adjust to digital learning and assessment, the digital SAT is another step in that direction. International students will be taking the new computer-based SAT from Spring 2023 except students across the USA, where the digital SAT exam will be available from Spring 2024.
What changes with SAT going digital?
With major parts remaining the same, the new digital SAT exam will come with some very significant changes that will impact the way students prepare and attempt the test. Mentioned below are some of the most significant changes in the digital SAT:
Time-Duration of SAT
Trimming off an entire hour from the new digital SAT, the College Board has reduced the test duration from the previous three to just two hours. Test fatigue is a real thing, and this time cut comes as a relief to the students who found it tough to stay focused for three hours.
Shorter Sections in SAT
With the total test-duration coming down, section-lengths will also be cut down. The new SAT exam will have more direct questions and shorter reading passages. Moreover, passage topics will be centered around what students are more likely to read in their college curriculum.
Use of Calculators in SAT
Presently, SAT math is divided into Math with a calculator and Math without a calculator. The new digital SAT will allow a calculator for all math questions. An on-screen calculator will be available to students. They no longer have to worry about carrying the right calculator on the SAT exam day.
Computer-Adaptive SAT
The digital SAT will be computer-adaptive, which means your performance in the first section will determine the difficulty level of questions in other sections. If you perform well in the first section, the questions in the second section will be more difficult.
SAT Result Announcement
The results for the current paper-based version of the tests are announced between two and six weeks. The colleges you shortlist to send your free score, get it about ten days after you do. With the new digital SAT, the scores will be out within days rather than weeks, reducing the overall waiting time.
What stays the same in the digital SAT?
Though the new digital SAT comes with a lot of significant changes, some things remain the same as the older version, such as:
How students study for the SAT
How colleges use SAT scores
How students are evaluated
How students are scored
The content of the SAT