College Board has begun shifting the majority of its standardized exams to a digital format, in an effort to make them simpler to take and administer. The PSAT will be issued digitally throughout the country this fall, as will all SAT tests taken in the spring of 2024 and beyond.
College Board also used the opportunity to change the structure of the exams. Gone are long reading passages, followed by multiple questions about the excerpt. Rather, each question will have its own text, some including bulleted lists instead of paragraphs.
Both tests are also becoming shorter in length and in time. Currently, the SAT takes three hours and fifteen minutes, with a total of 154 questions. In contrast, the digital version will take around two hours and fifteen minutes, and feature only 98 questions.
“We’re not simply putting the current SAT on a digital platform—we’re taking full advantage of what delivering an assessment digitally makes possible,” said Ms. Priscilla Rodriguez, Vice President of College Readiness Assessments at College Board. “With input from educators and students, we are adapting to ensure we continue to meet their evolving needs.”
Like many other things, the impetus for the digital shift came from the COVID-19 pandemic, “This has been a conversation happening since 2020, when COVID upended all aspects of life, including education and standardized testing. It became pretty clear in the last year or so that this was going to be a shift that was happening,” said Mr. Oscar Borboa ’05, a Brophy College Counselor.
In terms of how colleges and universities will view the digital SAT versus the current version, it will likely not be much different. However, many of them will be monitoring the results, just in case.
“We will be studying the difference just like every other school to see impact or improvements. I think [it’s] too early to tell but anything that helps promote equity and access is something we are always willing to support,” said Lorenzo Gamboa, the Director of Admission for Diversity, Inclusion, & Outreach at Santa Clara University.
Students will still report to proctoring sites to take the exams. However, they will access the exams via the Bluebook Digital Testing app on a computer or tablet. The app also offers practice tests to help students get acquainted with the digital format.
Not all students have access to a computer or tablet, or even stable high-speed Internet. In response to concerns about technology availability for students, College Board wrote, “Students will be able to use their own device (laptop or tablet) or a school issued device. If students don’t have a device to use, College Board will provide one for use on test day. If a student loses connectivity or power, the digital SAT has been designed to ensure they won’t lose their work or time while they reconnect.”
For Brophy students, Mr. Borboa thinks they only need to prepare differently for the digital SAT and PSAT the night before. “Depending on the situation, is your login squared away? Is your computer charged? You know, do you understand what is going to be asked to be on that SAT? …Because it’s not just show up with your #2 pencils and an eraser,” said Mr. Borboa.
