The SAT will be totally digital for students in the United States starting in 2024.
Soon, students won’t need to use pencils, erasers, or even the little ovals on answer papers. And that’s good news for students who become tired of taking exams. The current SAT, which takes three hours to complete on paper and pencil, is being reduced to a computer-based version that lasts only two hours and fifteen minutes. Having said that, here are the facts on the new digital SAT.
The Rollout Timeline
Students in the high school class of 2025 will be the first in the United States to take the new digital SAT, which will be administered beginning in the spring of 2024. The switch to the digital exam will take place in the spring of 2023 at testing sites across the world.
There will be no repetition during the shift from paper to digital exams. There will be no other SAT option besides the new adaptive computer-based test after the spring of 2024.
What Aspects of the SAT Will Go Unchanged?
The online version will also measure the same knowledge and abilities that are tested on the paper SAT; in short, the same 1600-point scale will be used for scoring. The test can be taken on a student’s own laptop or tablet; however, taking it at home is not an option. Testing locations for the SAT will be limited to schools and official testing centers.
Students who have previously received testing accommodations will have those adjustments maintained.
Information on Adaptive Testing
A new Reading and Writing portion and a Math section will make up the new digital SAT.
There will be two modules in each part. A total of 32-35 minutes will be spent on each module.
The two-part adaptive nature of the digital SAT is indicative of its high degree of flexibility. This means that the difficulty of the questions in the second module of each part will be based on how well you performed in the first module of that section. If you do well in the first module, the questions in the second module will be more difficult. The test was able to be significantly shortened thanks to adaptive testing.
Students taking the exam together will not have the same set of questions to answer in either of the two modules that make up a section. But, they will instead have tests that are only somewhat similar but not entirely the same.
More Efficient Testing with Faster Results
As previously stated, the new computer-based SAT will be 46 minutes shorter than the existing paper-and-pencil version. Students who want to take the digital version of the exam will have 2 hours and 14 minutes to complete it (with brief “pauses” between sections).
The SAT Essay, which was removed from the exam in 2021, will not be reinstated. Digitized SAT scores will be delivered to students within a few days of testing.
Adjustments to the Reading and Writing Section
Reading and Writing will be unified into one test on the new online SAT.
In contrast to the current paper SAT, which includes five lengthy passages in the Reading section and four lengthy passages in the Writing section, each of which has multiple questions associated with it, the new digital SAT will feature much shorter passages, each of which will only have one question. Informational visuals may be included in reading and writing sections.
Math Section Updates
The new digital SAT includes a Math section where students may use calculators throughout the exam. The program has an integrated graphing calculator for use during tests. A student may also use their own permitted calculator.
Conclusion
Overall, the implementation of the new digital SAT is anticipated to be a success. The new format is easier to navigate and will allow for a more streamlined process for students. In addition, the new digital SAT will save time for students who are interested in applying to selective colleges and universities.
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