By Claire Burnett, The Current Co-Editor-in-Chief
If you enjoy taking digital tests instead of the traditional paper and pencil, you’re in luck because the College Board is gradually introducing the digital SAT and PSAT to schools across the nation.
For almost 100 years, high school students have taken the SAT in order to apply for college. Students have traditionally been given a testing booklet and filled in their answers with a Number 2 pencil. However, this will soon change as the College Board is revising their SAT process. In the spring of 2023, the International SAT will go digital, and by the spring of 2024, all SAT and PSAT assessments will be fully digital.
Besides the format change from paper to computer, the actual test and materials will be different. The test will be approximately 2 hours, which is much shorter than the current 3 hours. Also, the questions will be more direct, including eliminating long reading passages and shortening math word problems. Junior Lily Peng commented “I think it should make the test a lot easier because the hardest part is the long reading section.”
A select number of students from across the county were able to take the new digital SAT at Centennial High School on Saturday, September 24th as part of a digital SAT study. A few River Hill students were able to get the chance to be part of this sample group. Senior Brooke Fox, who took the digital SAT, remarked “I was already taking the August [SAT] and the sign up for the digital one was no additional cost.” Brooke added that “because of the different format, I was curious if I would score better with a different and shorter version and felt that it was easy enough to just try it out for no additional cost.”
Junior Christabel Akolo, who also took the digital SAT, reflected “I think the digital SAT was a lot better than the regular one. The shorter reading passages made it easier to focus and it was helpful being able to see how much time I had left in each section.” She went on to say that “I chose to take the digital SAT mostly because I struggle with the reading section on the regular SAT.”
Students who were a part of the digital SAT study at Centennial High School were able to get a preview of the new format. Brooke described that “I liked how short it was, and module 1 was pretty easy for each section but module 2 definitely stepped it up a bit.” Brooke finally commented that “I think it was definitely different but I can’t tell if it’s ‘good different’ or ‘bad different.’”
Although many students have differing opinions on the digital SAT, the College Board is making this change for a clear purpose. Due to the pandemic, students are learning and testing digitally, so it makes sense that the SAT would continue to use the format that most students are using. Lily Peng remarked “It makes sense that the test is digital but they’re not considering other factors like how it’s hard for some people to take tests online.” Also, the College Board hopes that the new digital SAT format will allow for more flexibility with testing, like how often the test is given or where.
Those who will be taking the SAT after the spring of 2024, especially current freshmen and sophomores, should expect to take it digitally.