The SAT Will Be Digital and Shorter by 2024

Photo credit: Tevarak Phanduang - Getty Images
Photo credit: Tevarak Phanduang - Getty Images


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On January 25, the College Board announced major changes to the SAT, the standardized test used for college admissions since the 1920s. Now, by 2024, the exam will be fully digital and will only take about two hours to complete — a significant contrast to the SAT’s current paper format, which requires roughly three hours. The switch comes after 80 percent of U.S. and international students, who participated in a pilot study in November 2021, responded in a College Board survey that they found the digital version to be less stressful.

“The digital SAT will be easier to take, easier to give, and more relevant,” Priscilla Rodriguez, vice president of College Readiness Assessments at College Board, said in a news statement. “We’re not simply putting the current SAT on a digital platform — we’re taking full advantage of what delivering an assessment digitally makes possible. With input from educators and students, we are adapting to ensure we continue to meet their evolving needs.”

What does this mean for students applying to colleges and universities for the upcoming school year and beyond? Here, we break down everything to know about the SAT’s new digital structure, such as how it will be administered, how its contents will be modified, and how it will be scored.

When can students start taking the digital SAT?

While the College Board began assessing a digital format of the SAT in November 2021, a widespread implementation of it will not be available anytime this year. International students will be the first to take the digital version of the exam, beginning in 2023. By 2024, it will be delivered digitally to U.S. students.

Approximately 1.7 million high schools students graduating in the class of 2022 have sat for the SAT. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing schools and testing centers to shut down over the past two years, an increasing number of colleges have become “test-optional.” According to Fair Test: The National Center for Fair and Open Testing, more than 1,815 schools do not require SAT or ACT scores for students applying for the Fall 2022 semester. The organization also reported that about 1,400 of these schools have already extended their test-optional policy for Fall 2023 admissions. While the test requirement will likely return for some schools, others have permanently removed the mandate, such as the University of California system.

To learn whether or not a college requires standardized test scores, visit the College Information page in the Common App.

Will students be able to take the digital version at home?

No. The SAT will continue to be administered at school or in a testing center, with a proctor in the room.

Further, the College Board “is working to address inequities in access to technology.” Students will be allowed to use their own personal laptop or tablet, or one provided by their school. If the student does not have a device, or if the school does not have any available for students, the College Board will provide them. If an internet connection or power is lost during the test, the student will not lose their work or time.

How will the digital version be scored?

The test will still be scored out of 1600, but a substantial benefit to the digital version is the quicker turnaround time for test scores. Rather than waiting weeks or months for results, students and teachers can learn their score within days.

How will the contents of the SAT change?

As mentioned earlier, the digital format will require only two hours to complete, as opposed to three. In terms of test material, the passages in the reading section will be shorter and “will reflect a wider range of topics that represent the works students read in college,” according to the College Board.

Additionally, students will be permitted to use a calculator during the entirety of the math section.

Although the College Board did not explicitly say, it’s expected that the test will still consist of multiple choice questions and “grid-in” questions, which are used in the math section.

Will the PSAT also go digital?

Yes! The PSAT will be provided digitally, starting in 2023.

As for the SAT’s supplemental exams, such as the essay portion and subject tests, the College Board announced in January 2021 that those would no longer be offered. The decision was made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in an effort to “reduce demands on students,” as reported in a statement from the organization.

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