The College Board who administers the SAT assessment announced that there are big changes coming to the SAT including a digital format for all. Get ready to throw out that pencil and be ready to type.
With 83% of surveyed students indicating they still want the option of submitting test score to colleges when they apply, this is important information to have.
Not all details on the upcoming changes are known, but LEAP will keep you in the loop as we learn more from our professional network.
Known Changes to the SAT Test
Dates of the Changes
US testers will experience the change to digital in two waves. First with the PSAT in October 2023 then with the SAT in the spring of 2024. If you are wondering if this affects YOUR student...the high school graduating class of 2025 will be the first to fully test on a digital SAT format. Those in the class of 2024 and older will have completed testing and college applications before the changes.
Tested Content
We anticipate that the concepts tested will remain stable, but SAT has indicated how they are tested will look a bit different. Students will be relieved that they won't be forced to put their calculator away for a non-calculator math section. And reading passages will be shorter with one question per passage. But what teens need to know academically will remain the same with a focus on grammar, written communication, reading comprehension including inferencing skills, vocabulary, math through algebra 2, and how to read and interpret informational schematics.
Test Format
Everyone will celebrate that the test will be shorter. It is currently 3 hours and will be reduced to 2 hours. This is a win for students and those who administer the test.
In the digital format, SAT has indicated that it will be adaptive. This means that no longer will a set of students take the same exact test, but they will instead be presented with dynamic test questions based on the student's performance on previous questions. College Board shares this will make scoring on that 1600 scale more efficient.
Test Sites and Dates
Students will not be testing at home, but instead at testing centers including schools. Testing will be done on the student's own computer or tablet or one provided by the testing center. Anticipated is greater flexibility on test dates instead of being tied to static state wide test dates and the seven Saturdays each year.
Score Release
Instead of waiting one to two weeks for results, students will receive their results within days.
And We Wait....
To see:
- The quality of the practice tests made available
- If College Board sticks to their timeline
- And maybe most importantly how ACT will respond because they will. They always do. As does College Board to any ACT changes.
Stay tuned to LEAP for more...we stay abreast of the changes by attending College Board professional development and webinars for educators as well as our membership in the National Test Prep Association. We will keep you up to date as we learn more.