The SAT, a standardized test overseen by the College Board, is undergoing a major transformation. According to the College Board, the digital SAT will be easier for students to take and more accessible for proctors to administer. By the fall of 2023, the PSAT will be virtual, and by spring 2024, the SAT will follow. Once the digital version is universally available, the paper version will be discontinued.
In November 2021, the College Board piloted an online version of the test. After the pilot, students and educators were surveyed. Results showed that 80% of student respondents found it to be less stressful, and 100% of the educators reported a positive experience. In March 2023, the SAT went digital for international students. The College Board claims it made the test virtual for international testing centers before the U.S. ones so it could administer two additional testing sessions than it previously had. As of this fall, the PSAT will be digital for all U.S. testing centers, and starting in spring 2024, the SAT will be virtual everywhere.
So, what are the changes coming to the SAT?
Beyond the online shift, there are many other changes to be excited about. The test duration will be an hour shorter. The paper test was a three-hour test split into three sections, with a 10-minute break after the first section and a 5-minute break after the second. The digital version will be composed of two sections and will take two hours and 14 minutes, with a ten-minute break in between the two sections.
There will also be changes to both the math and reading sections. Calculators will now be allowed for the entirety of the math section. Previously, math was split into two parts: one non-calculator and one calculator section. The reading section will also be updated. Instead of having a passage or short story with a series of questions concluding it, the section will be broken up. There will be parts of a passage or shorter passages with one question immediately following.
The response time for test results will be expedited, according to the College Board. With previous exams, students waited weeks to get their results back, but with the digital changes, results will be sent back within days.
The College Board also highlights that students taking the SAT will have 68% more time per question than those taking the ACT. The SAT will be a total of 98 questions to complete within 134 minutes. The ACT is 215 questions to complete within 175 minutes. The question types on these two tests are different, but having more than 50% more time per question may be a key reason people will choose to take the SAT over the ACT.
At Tenafly High School on October 4, all sophomores and juniors will take the PSAT. The test will be delivered virtually to all students. The reason all 10th and 11th graders are required to take the PSAT this year is because “everything is going digital and the PSAT is the first test that will be digital,” said Ms. Katherine Leuck, the SAT coordinator at Tenafly High School. “It gives everybody the ability to check out the format, and experience it at the PSAT level before hitting the SAT level.”
Caio Rupp (’26) emphasized the idea that the SAT will be easier than in the past. “Although I have never taken an SAT or PSAT, it seems like these changes are significant and will make taking the test a lot more straightforward for myself and other students that will take the digital SAT in the future.”
The reformed SAT will be available to all by spring of 2024. Students are eager for the much-needed changes. Those taking the PSAT on October 4 will receive the opportunity to be introduced to the new format before the SAT changes
