Say Goodbye to No. 2 Pencils: The SAT Goes Digital
“The digital SAT will be easier to take, easier to give, and more relevant,” said Priscilla Rodriguez, College Board’s vice president of College Readiness Assessments. Students will be able to use their laptops and tablets to take the exam under the supervision of proctors at testing centers and schools. International students will be the first to experience this new testing environment since the virtual test will not be available to U.S students until the spring of 2024.
Along with the digital testing setup, there have been some significant changes to the SAT itself. Instead of the traditional three-hour test, the exam will be shortened to two hours with fewer reading passages and questions. The new SAT will also allow students to use calculators for the entirety of the math section. Those who do not have graphing calculators will use a digital one built into the testing app. Not only that but, each student will have a different test to eliminate cheating and maintain test integrity.
However, with all these changes, some things will stay the same. The SAT will still be out of 1600, and students must take it in a supervised location. Accommodations will still be available, and the range of content and material will not change.
By: Pavithra Sankar
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