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January seems to be the month the College Board announces seismic shifts to its testing policies.  Last year, they removed the Subject Tests in one fell swoop.  This year, they announced plans to replace the paper-and-pencil test with a shorter digital version. Changes will affect students graduating in the Class of 2025 or later.

This news is still breaking, but below we will consider what is fact at this point as well as the pros, cons, and how the change will impact your or your child’s approach to standardized testing. 

The Facts:

• The new, digital format will debut with the fall PSAT in October 2023
• The SAT will follow suit with a digital rollout in March 2024—the digital format will, at that point, replace the paper-and-pencil test
• The new version will be an hour shorter—just two hours overall
• The SAT will remain out of 1600 points (800 for math and 800 for verbal)
• The exam will change from a static test to a dynamic, adaptive one: scores will consider the level of difficulty—not just the number—of questions answered correctly
• Content changes:
  • Verbal:
    • The test will move away from long passages with multiple questions. Instead, it will consist of short passages followed by one question
  • Math:
    • Students will be allowed to use calculators in every section
    • Word problems will be less “wordy”

Pros:

• The new exam is designed with student stress in mind—it will likely be a more palatable experience
• Test takers can use a calculator on every math question
• Reading comprehension passages will be shorter, and students will only answer one question at the end of each
• Turnaround time for scores will likely be reduced from weeks to days
• The number of opportunities to take the test each year will likely increase substantially (up from seven national test dates per year currently)

Cons

• The digital testing format is not as natural to students who are accustomed to paper-and-pencil tests
• Given the adaptive nature of the exam, it’s possible the College Board will restrict the number of times a student can re-take the test
• The first few administrations of the digital SAT are likely to make test takers feel like guinea pigs

What does it all mean?

While this news is hot off the press, we’re already imagining the impact it will have on the Class of 2025. 

We believe more students will opt for the ACT instead, which will be more predictable (unless, of course, the ACT follows suit on a similar timeline). That said, for those who feel particularly well-suited to the SAT, this change will accelerate plans to take the exam before December 2023 (the last pencil-and-paper exam). This will mean a greater push to prepare over the summer before junior year.

Finally, we’re monitoring the transition in real time and will adapt our approach to test preparation as we learn more.  While the exam’s format and section parameters will change, we expect the content will not. The same basic math, reading, and grammar skills are likely to be tested on the new version.  As always, we will modify our materials and course of preparation to give your child the greatest edge on the new exam.  If you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out.