The Paper SAT vs. the New Digital SAT

It’s finally happening! The SAT is going fully digital starting in 2024 for students in the United States.

The days of cramped hands, pencil sharpeners, and tiny ovals on answer sheets soon will be a thing of the past. And students who struggle with test fatigue can celebrate! The 3-hour paper-and-pencil SAT is being streamlined into a computer-based test that’s just under 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Here’s what you need to know about the new digital SAT:

Rollout Timeline

• The new digital SAT will be administered to students in the United States starting in spring 2024, so students in the high school class of 2025 will be the first to have the opportunity to take the digital test. For international testing centers, the transition to the digital test will happen in spring 2023.
• There will be no overlap in the transition from paper to digital testing. Starting in spring 2024, the new adaptive, computer-based test will be the only way to take the SAT.

What’s Staying the Same

• The digital SAT will continue to measure the knowledge and skills that appear on the paper SAT.
• Scoring will remain on the same 1600 scale.
• Although students will be able to take the test on their own laptop or tablet, at-home testing will not be an option. The SAT will be administered exclusively at schools and testing centers.
• Students who require testing accommodations will continue to receive them.

Adaptive Testing

• The new digital SAT will be composed of two sections: 1.) a combined Reading and Writing section, and 2.) a Math section.
• Each section will include two modules. Each module will run about 30-35 minutes.
• The digital SAT will be two-stage adaptive. This means that your performance on the first module of each section will determine the difficulty of the questions on the second module of that section. The better you do on the first module, the harder the questions will be on the second module. Adaptive testing is what makes it possible for the test to be considerably shorter.
• Rather than receiving identical questions, students testing together will receive unique but comparable versions of the test in both the first and second modules of each section.

Shorter Test, Quicker Results

• The digital SAT will be a full hour shorter than the current paper-and-pencil test. Students taking the digital will have 2 hours and 14 minutes (including short “pauses” between sections) to finish the test.
• The SAT Essay, which was dropped from the test in 2021, will not be making a comeback.
• Students will receive their digital SAT scores just a few days after taking the test.

Changes to the Reading and Writing Section

• Reading and Writing will be combined into a single section on the new digital SAT.
• Where the current paper SAT features 5 long passages in the Reading section and 4 long passages in the Writing section with multiple questions tied to each passage, the digital SAT will feature considerably shorter passages with a single question accompanying each.
• Reading and Writing passages may contain informational graphics.

Changes to the Math Section

• Students may use calculators for the entire Math section of the new digital SAT.
• A graphing calculator is built into the testing app. Students may also bring their own approved calculator.

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We’ll keep you updated as the College Board releases more information about the new digital SAT.

In the meantime, if you have questions about the SAT or any other aspect college prep, schedule a free consultation with an Elite Prep counselor.