Digital SAT Tutoring

Will I be taking the digital SAT?

International students: These students are already taking the digital SAT.
Class of 2024 (in the U.S. or U.S. territories): These students will take the current SAT.
Class of 2025 (in the U.S. or U.S. territories): December 2023 will be the last chance for these students to take the current SAT. Afterward, the only options will be the ACT or digital SAT.

Where will I take the digital SAT?

The digital SAT will be administered at the same test centers that have traditionally offered the SAT. Students will have to bring their own devices (laptop/tablet), preloaded will the CollegeBoard’s Bluebook application.

What makes the digital SAT different from the current SAT?

The digital SAT will be a section-adaptive test. While the questions in Module 1 of each section will be the same for every test taker (spanning a broad range of difficulty levels), the difficulty of Module 2 depends on your performance on Module 1. If you receive the easier version of Module 2, your final score will be restricted to a lower range.

Reading and Writing Section

Shorter Passages

The digital SAT will have passages ranging from 25 to 150 words in length. (The current Reading section has passages between 500 to 750 words in length. The current Writing section has passages between 400 to 450 words in length.)

Shorter Reading and Writing Section

The Reading and Writing section of the digital SAT consists of two 32-minute modules with 27 questions each. (The current SAT has a 65-minute 52-question Reading section and a 35-minute 44-question Writing & Language section.)

New Verbal Content

While the types of Reading and Writing questions featured on the digital SAT are somewhat similar to those on the current SAT, some new passage types have been introduced: poetry, drama, and literary nonfiction. For students who haven’t undergone preparation for the AP English Literature and Composition examination, these passage types could pose challenges.

There is also increased emphasis on vocabulary with a return to sentence completion questions.

The final questions within each R&W module will relate to a new type of passage: a bulleted list. These passages present a collection of points that were recorded during someone’s investigation of a subject. The test taker will be asked to pick an answer choice that achieves a particular goal.

Math Section

Shorter Math Section

The math section of the digital SAT consists of two 35-minute modules with 22 questions each. (The current SAT has a 25-minute 20-question no-calculator math section and a 55-minute 38-question calculator-allowed math section.)

Calculator Usage

Students may use the built-in Desmos graphing calculator for every math question. They can also choose to bring their own graphing calculator.

Shorter Word Problems

Most math questions on the digital SAT will have fewer than 50 words.

What Remains Same?

Score Ranges

Total scores on the Digital SAT will range between 400 to 1600 points with each section ranging between 200 to 800 points. The CollegeBoard also claims that a score on the digital SAT will be equivalent to the same score on the current SAT.

Tips for the digital SAT:

Students can gain an advantage by understanding the order of question types. It is evident that an in-depth analysis of the passages in the initial section of each module is essential to understanding the Reading questions. However, the Writing questions in the later part of the module can generally be answered with a more cursory inspection of the text.
Before reading the specific text, it is beneficial for students to first look at the corresponding question. More often than not, the query will provide a center point for the reading that follows. This approach changes reading into a goal-centered and mindful practice.
It is also important for students to become knowledgeable about the usage of features like highlighting and note-taking that are available on the digital test platform. Having familiarity with these abilities is key, and it is vital to practice beforehand so as not to waste time during the exam.

Kenny Tan Test Prep offers one-on-one tutoring for the digital SAT. Schedule a free consultation today to find out how we can help you reach your full potential on the digital SAT!

WHAT'S CHANGING:

WHAT'S STAYING THE SAME:

New Digital SAT
Current Paper SAT
Current Paper ACT

	New Digital SAT	Current Paper SAT	Current Paper ACT
			/
Format	Digital only via a College Board app	Paper-and-Pencil	Paper-and-Pencil
Timing	2 hours and 14 minutes	3 hours	2 hours and 55 minutes
Accommodations	All current accommodations will be maintained. Students whose accommodations require a paper test will still be able to take a paper-and-pencil test.
Structure	Stage Adaptive The difficulty of a section's second stage is based on performance in the first stage; the test tailors the second stage to the student	Static The test does not change based on a student's performance	Same as Current Paper SAT
Sections	2 Sections, each with 2 Stages Reading and Writing - Combined R&W Stage 1 (32 min, 27 items) - Combined R&W Stage 2 (32 min, 27 items) Math - Math Stage 1 (35 min, 22 items) - Math Stage 2 (35 min, 22 items)	2 Sections, each with 2 Parts Reading and Writing - Reading (65 min, 52 items) - Writing (35 min, 44 items) Math - Math: No Calculator (25 min, 20 items) - Math: Calculator (55 min, 38 items)	4 Tests English (45 min, 75 items) Math (60 minutes, 60 items) Reading (35 min, 40 items) Science (35 min, 40 items) Optional Essay (40 minutes, 1 item)
Equating Unscored Questions	Both the Reading and Writing and the Math tests will have 4 unscored questions mixed in with the scored questions	Students often receive a fifth section of unscored questions that are used for equating purposes	Same as Current Paper SAT
Test Scores	400-1600 Total Score 200-800 Reading and Writing \| 200-800 Math College Board has indicated that current and digital SAT scores will be equivalent An ACT/SAT Concordance is used by colleges to compare SAT and ACT scores, and according to College Board, this same concordance will be valid for the new digital SAT	Same a New Digital SAT	1-36 Composite Score - (rounded average of test scores) 1-36 each test: English, Math, Reading, and Science
Other Scores	No subscores or cross-test scores	Provides subscores such as Words in Context and Heart of Algebra and cross-test scores such as Analysis in Science and Analysis in History/Social Studies	Provides raw performance on content areas such as Conventions of Standard English, Algebra, Craft & Structure, and Interpretation of Data
Score Reports	Available days after the exam Students no longer have access to their questions and answers	Available 2-3 weeks after the exam Students can order Ouestion-and-Answer service to review SAT questions for certain administrations	Available 2 weeks after the exam Student can order Test Information Release (TIR) to receive a digital copy of the multiple-choice test questions for certain administrations
Security	Students have unique tests--an algorithm builds question sets out of a large pool of questions tagged based on qualities ranging from content area to difficulty.	Provides subscores such as Words in Context and Heart of Algebra and cross-test scores such as Analysis in Science and Analysis in History/Social Studies	Provides raw performance on content areas such as Conventions of Standard English, Algebra, Craft & Structure, and Interpretation of Data