A New SAT is on the Horizon

A New SAT is on the Horizon

The College Board recently announced the SAT will shift from a paper-and-pencil test to a computer-based exam in 2024. In addition to moving to a digital format, the 2024 SAT will undergo several format changes, including a shorter exam length, adaptive test questions and easier reading passages.

By: Soleil Kelly, Mathematics & Film at Vanderbilt University, 2023 

The College Board will make the 2024 SAT more streamlined. They have already hinted at a few ways that it will be easier for students: 

• The exam will be two hours long instead of three.
• The reading passages will be shorter and only have one question associated with each passage, and passages will reflect a wider range of topics that represent the works students read in college.
• The math section will allow calculators at all times unlike the current version of the SAT that includes a math section that does not allow calculators. 

The new SAT being digital also allows for each student to be administered a unique test which will increase security amongst test takers. Also, students and educators will get scores back in days rather than weeks. And, to reflect the range of paths that students take after high school, digital SAT Suite score reports will also connect students to information and resources about local two-year college, workforce training programs, and career options.

Although some key aspects of the SAT are changing, many other important features of the SAT Suite (Sat, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, PSAT 8/9) will remain the same. The exams will still continue to measure the knowledge and skills of high school students and will be an important measurement for college readiness. The SAT will also continue to be scored on a 1600 scale and growth over the couse of SAT Suite examinations can be tracked over time. Exams will also still be administered at school or in a test center, not at home, and students still have access to free preparation materials via Khan Academy. Lastly, students will still be connected to scholarships and College Board National Recognition Programs after taking the exams.

While the transition to digital will bring a number of student- and educator-friendly changes, many important features of the SAT Suite (SAT, PSAT/NMSQT®, PSAT™ 10, PSAT™ 8/9) will stay the same. The SAT Suite will continue to measure the knowledge and skills that students are learning in high school and that matter most for college and career readiness. The SAT will still be scored on a 1600 scale, and educators and students can continue to track growth across the SAT Suite of Assessments over time. The assessments will continue to be administered in a school or in a test center with a proctor present—not at home. Students will still have access to free practice resources on Khan Academy. And students taking the SAT Suite will continue to connect to scholarships and the College Board National Recognition Programs.

The changes to the SAT will seemingly make the test easier and more accessible to a wider range of students while still maintaining the aspects which were useful to former student bodies. If you are embarking on your college prep path, check out our other blog posts on college readiness and standardized testing prep!