The SAT is an opportunity for students to show colleges they’re ready to succeed on campus. SAT is adapting to the changing needs of educators and students. At the start of this year, The College Board announced a significant change to the exam. The digital version of the SAT will come into effect for international students starting in March 2023 while the current paper-pencil test version will be defunct.
What is Digital SAT?
The digital SAT is an exam the College Board administers to measure the skills and knowledge of the students seeking admission to universities or colleges. The assessment allows students to show their college readiness. With the transition to digital, the new format will differ, although not entirely, from its predecessor. It will be a more student-friendly test that’s easier to take, give, and is more, secure and relevant.
Key changes you will see on the Digital SAT.
- The test will now be conducted on a laptop or a tablet at the test centre.
- The test length is shortened – 2 hours and 14 minutes instead of 3 hours.
- Students will have more time to answer individual question.
- Each assessment in the digital SAT Suite has two sections: a combined Reading and writing section and a Math section.
- Each section includes two equal-length and separately timed modules.
- The digital SAT Suite uses multistage adaptive testing (MST)
- Calculators are allowed for the entire Math section. The testing app includes a built-in graphing calculator.
- The reading passages are shorter, with a single question following it.
- Each student will answer a unique and equivalent set of questions.
- Students will receive test results in a few days instead of weeks
What remains unchanged?
- The total score continues to be on a 1600-point scale.
- Reading and Writing passages may incorporate informational graphics.
- Students continue to take tests at the authorized test centres and schools
- The digital SAT continues to measure the knowledge and skills students learn in high school, which are most relevant to determine college readiness.
- Students have access to free practice resources from the official website.
A closer look at the Digital SAT
As explained above, each assessment in the digital SAT Suite has two sections: the Reading and Writing section and the Math section. Both the Reading and Writing and the Math sections are further divided into two equal-length and separately timed modules. Each Reading and Writing module lasts 32 minutes, while each Math module lasts 35 minutes. Thus, in every assessment, students have 64 minutes to complete Reading and Writing section and 70 minutes to complete Math section. Also, when students complete the Reading and Writing section, they are moved to the Math section after a 10-minute break between the sections.
The sections are two-stage adaptive. The first module contains a broad mix of easy, medium, and hard questions. Based on how students perform in the first module, the second module of questions will either be more difficult or less difficult. When time runs out on the first module of each section, the test delivery platform moves students to the second module. The test taker can move backward and forward among questions in each module before time runs out.
New Digital SAT VS Paper Pattern Tests
The table given below illustrates how the paper-pencil test differs from the new digital SAT.
| Old SAT Paper-Pencil Test | Digital SAT Test |
| Test length is 3 Hours and 15 minutes. | Test length is shortened to 2 hours and 14 min. |
| Test duration for the reading and writing section is 100 minutes | Test duration shortened to 64 minutes for the reading and writing section. |
| The Reading has 5 passages with 52 questions (65 min). | Reading and writing are combined into one section (54 multiple-choice questions). Each includes short passages and may contain informational graphics. |
| Writing and language have four passages with 44 questions (35 min). | |
| Test duration for Math section is 80 minutes | Test duration for Math section is 70 minutes |
| No calculator section calculators with 15 multiple-choice questions + 5 student-produced response questions. | The calculator is allowed throughout the Math section. Math test section contains 33 multiple-choice questions, + 11 student-produced response questions. All questions are intermixed. |
| The calculator section has 30 multiple-choice questions + 8 student-produced response questions |
Closing Thoughts
The digital SAT raises the test to contemporary test-taking formats that most students are used to these days. The changes in the format are intended to make the SAT less stressful. With these changes in effect, we expect more students to appear for the SAT in order to accurately indicate their potential to succeed in college. High SAT scores can impress admissions committees, even at test-optional schools. Hence, including the SAT score in the college application process allows you to improve your likelihood of acceptance to your dream college.
Now that you have finished reading the above information on the new digital SAT exam, you must give wings to your study abroad dream without wasting further time. Begin today!
What’s Next?
Whether you are aiming for a high SAT score or intending to improve your present SAT score, we can help you. If you need more information about the SAT or about the career counselling and study abroad admissions process, contact us for a one-one counselling session.
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MANISH MITTAL
Career Coach | Study Abroad Consultant | Trainer
M.A. Education | PgD Career Counselling | B.E Mech
With more than two decades of experience, Manish Mittal, the founder of Global Careers, is an accomplished Career Counsellor, Educational Planner, Foreign Education Consultant, and Trainer. He is among the select few high school counsellors in the world, holding an on-campus college counselling certificate from the prestigious New York University.
Additionally, he is certified to administer and interpret the world’s most renowned psychometric tests such as the MBTI, Strong Test Inventory, DAT, and Multiple Intelligence. He also has years of experience tutoring IELTS, TOEFL, SAT, GRE & GMAT. The fact that he dons many hats, and would wear the appropriate one for the occasion, makes him unique in the business.