On the 25th of January 2022, the college board announced that the SAT would be completely digital for all international students (including Indian students) from 2023, and for all US students from 2024. You will still be required to attend a test centre, but this SAT change means the SAT exam will be more relevant, shorter and less expensive to take and give.
Here is a brief overview of the key changes to the digital SAT Exam:
| Factor | Previously (Written SAT) | Change (Digital SAT) |
| Duration | 3 hours | 2 hours |
| Number of attempts | 5 attempts | 7 attempts |
| Pattern- Reading & Writing | Longer passages with multiple questions per passage | Shorter passages with one question per passage |
| Pattern- Mathematics | More number of word problems | Fewer word problems |
| Calculator Usage | Calculators allowed only for a part of the Math section | Built-in Desmos calculators allowed for the entire Math section |
| Results | Receive results in a few weeks | Receive results in a few days |
| Testing Centres | Fewer centres available | More centres available |
The digital SAT exam will be shorter, just over 2 hours instead of 3 hours as it previously was. However, the paper pattern will also be changed to reflect this timing with shorter questions- thus allowing you more time to answer each individual question. This will reduce overall testing time by one-third.
The digital SAT exam will still require students to attend test centres, however, they will take the test electronically via an app on laptops or tablets instead of pencil and paper. Test takers will be able to use their own laptops or tablets to take the test via the app, but will also have the option to use school-issued devices or can opt-in to have the College Board provide a device to use on the day if they do not have access to one.
The new SAT promises a greater number of test centres to make it more accessible to students across different regions.
The digital SAT will also be more secure – by going digital, unique test forms can be issued which will prevent the sharing of answers, and minimize the risk of cancelled tests, lost tests etc.
The digital SAT test results will also be available much quicker than before, in a matter of days instead of weeks. This will allow students to streamline the college admissions process and make score-sharing easier and more efficient.
The mathematics section of the digital SAT exam will see the following changes:
The reading and writing sections of the digital SAT exam will see the following changes:
Following feedback from the fall pilots, 80% of students have found that the digital SAT exam is easier to take, and facilitators have found it easier to administer as well.
With many universities shifting to a test-optional approach, making the SAT exam digital allows it to be more accessible and less stressful for students and the CollegeBoard alike. Additionally, the digital SAT exam is also less expensive for the CollegeBoard to run as opposed to the traditional pen-and-paper version of the SAT exam.
The digital SAT exam will be in force starting in 2023 for international students (including Indian students), and from 2024 for US students. Check out the dates for the digital SAT 2023 here. The College Board has said that the digital SAT exam will allow more test centres to hold the tests more frequently than before. Additionally, students will be allowed to test 7 times when taking the digital SAT (where earlier they were limited to 5).
Keeping in mind that the students need to get accustomed to the new pattern before appearing for the exam, College Board has made available multiple full-length practice papers as well. Check them out here.
The digital SAT exam has been designed such that any technical difficulty will not cause a test-taker to lose their work, progress or time taken to reconnect.
The digital SAT exam will be rolled out in 2023 for international and Indian students and in 2024 for US students.
If you do not have a personal or school-issued laptop or tablet, the College Board can arrange for you to have a device to take the test on your test day.
You will no longer need to bring a pencil or calculator to the digital SAT exam starting in 2023, you only need your ID and device to take the test.
80% of beta-testers of the digital SAT exam in November 2021 found the digital version of the exam to be easier and less stressful than the physical pencil-and-paper version. 100% of all test takers found it to be the same or better.
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