SAT will be shorter and is going digital

By Lauren Chalouhi

The SAT, which is a critical step to getting into college for most people, will be shorter and administered online among a major shift in its format because of the pandemic and the test’s growing irrelevance.

The normal SAT test currently takes around three hours to complete, but the College Board announced that the digital version will be shortened to two hours, and more time provided in between questions.

Priscilla Rodriguez, vice president of College Readiness Assessments at the College Board, said, “the digital SAT will be easier to take, easier to give, and more relevant,” in a news release.

The test will start online in the United States in 2024, and internationally in 2023. The College Board, which manages the PSAT, SAT, and other college-entrance exams, announced a number of other changes to the test.

The digital exam will have shorter reading passages with one question tied to each passage. Students will also be allowed to use calculators on the entire math section, and scores will be received in days, instead of weeks.

The College Board said they began experimenting with digital SAT exams in the United States and internationally in November. Around 80% of the students said they would prefer an online exam because it would be less stressful. Educators have also said they have had positive experiences with the tests being administered online.

However, students will not be able to take the digital exams at home. The digital tests will be administered in a school or a test center with a proctor present, to make sure no cheating happens.