What Is the Digital SAT?

The digital SAT is here, and we know you have questions, concerns — maybe even nightmares! Never fear. We’re here to break it down for you and set the record straight. Take a deep breath. For the most part, studying for the digital SAT will be business as usual. In fact, it might even be a little easier!

WHAT IS THE DIGITAL SAT?

In January 2022, the College Board announced that, beginning in Spring 2023 for international students and Spring 2024 for U.S.-based students, the SAT will be administered digitally. Students will no longer take a uniform linear exam on paper; instead, they will access the new (and, we think, improved) SAT’s four adaptive modules via the Bluebook Testing App, a digital application on their computer or tablet device.

AN “ADAPTIVE” TEST

Hold on — what does “adaptive” mean? Basically, the new exam will respond to a student’s performance within the first module of each section (Reading and Writing and Math) and recalibrate the difficulty level of the questions that the student will encounter in the second module of each section accordingly.

WHAT’S ON THE DIGITAL SAT?

The content of the digital SAT is largely consistent with that of the paper exam; things just look a little different.

The Reading and Writing section of the digital SAT assesses students’ mastery within four broad content domains: Information and Ideas, Craft and Structure, Expression of Ideas, and Standard English Conventions. But gone are the days of long, dense passages. Whereas the Reading and Writing sections of the old exam comprised passages of 400-750 words, each followed by a series of questions, the new, combined Reading and Writing section of the digital SAT features mini passages of just 25-150 words, each corresponding to a single, targeted question.

The Math section of the digital SAT assesses students’ abilities within four broad areas of math: algebra, advanced math, problem-solving and data analysis, and geometry and trigonometry. Students will still answer a combination of multiple choice and student-produced response questions, as on the old test, thirty percent of which will be word problems. However, just as in the RW section, the length of the math section’s word problems will be reduced. Another notable change to the math section of the digital SAT is that students will now be allowed to use a calculator for both modules of the math section. Buh-bye no-calculator section! Even better? Each module will now be 35 minutes versus 55 minutes in the paper version. Many students found this longer section on the paper test daunting so this should be welcome news for students who struggle with the math sections.

In a nutshell, the content of the digital SAT is more compartmentalized and less wordy than that of the older exam.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Feedback from pilot programs administered by the College Board has been largely positive. Students on the whole find the digital SAT less daunting, citing its reduced duration (now just 2 hours and 14 minutes), significantly pared-down content, and intuitive grouping of skills and question difficulty levels. (Questions on the new exam are now largely organized based on the skills that they test and are arranged from easiest to hardest.)

Educators, too, tout the benefits of the new test, explaining that the new digital format is easier to administer, with time monitoring, test submission, and other such administrative matters now handled directly by the app. Also notable from an exam security perspective is the fact that cheating is virtually impossible on the digital SAT, given the individualized, adaptive format of the test.

TOP TIPS TO PREPARE FOR THE DIGITAL SAT

In Part 2, we’ll dive into our top tips for preparing for the digital SAT that launches in the U.S. next spring.