SAT university admission test will go digital from 2023
The new digital SAT admissions test for US universities will be shorter and provide students with a wider range of post-secondary school options
Seeta Bhardwa
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From March 2023, international students will be able to take the SAT test digitally at a test centre or in their school.
“The digital SAT will be easier to take, easier to give and more relevant,” said Priscilla Rodriguez, vice-president of College Readiness Assessments at College Board. “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.”
Students will be able to take the test on either a laptop computer or a tablet and will have the option to take the test on their own device or on a school-owned one. If students are unable to access equipment needed to take the test, they can request a device from College Board. The SAT will still be scored on a 1600 scale.
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One of the main changes is that the digital SAT will be shorter – just two hours long, down from three hours before – and students will receive more time per question. There will be briefer reading passages, with just one question for each passage. Calculators will be allowed throughout the maths section.
The SAT Suite Score reports will also widen the range of resources available for students to explore their journeys after they graduate high school. This will include more information on two-year colleges, apprenticeship schemes, career options and much more.
International students will be able to take the SAT digitally from early 2023, while students in the US will be able to take the test digitally from 2024. The PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 8/9 will be delivered digitally in 2023, with the PSAT 10 following in 2024.
In a pilot carried out in November 2021, students and educators took the digital SAT. The pilot found that 80 per cent of students found the digital test to be less stressful, and 100 per cent of educators reported having a positive experience.
“It felt a lot less stressful, and a whole lot quicker than I thought it’d be,” said Natalia Cossio, an 11th grade student from Virginia, US who participated in the digital pilot. “The shorter passages helped me concentrate more on what the question wanted me to do. Plus, you don’t have to remember to bring a calculator or a pencil.”
More experience on the digital SATs test can be found here
