Coming Soon: Digital Pre-SAT and Digital SAT!

Starting in Fall 2023, the SAT will be changing to a digital format, beginning with the dPSAT (digital PSAT) being offered alongside the paper-and-pencil version of the SAT. However, as of March 2024, both the PSAT and SAT will be offered in exclusively digital formats.
The digital SAT offers a dramatically different test for students in a condensed format. It relies on adaptive testing technology, like the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) to present a more holistic view of a student’s capabilities in answering easy, medium, and hard questions across two modules for each section of the test.
We’ve gathered all of the essential information that families of sophomores (and some juniors) need to know.

A digital format offers increased security–no more filling out scantron forms on the day of the test!
The digital format enables adaptive testing, which, in turn, makes a more condensed test possible for students. According to the CollegeBoard, the new format leads to more equitable scoring profiles for students. More information is available on the FAQ page available here.

Essentially, the test “learns” the student’s skill levels in a preliminary module in each section and then prepares a personalized second module in line with their recorded strengths and weaknesses. Questions are weighted with an Item Response Theory approach that assigns an easy, medium, or hard difficulty level to each question. Depending on how a student fares across these questions, they are given a follow-up set of questions of similar or greater difficulty.
Unlike other adaptive tests, though, the digital SAT allows students to navigate within the section to edit their answers. The “adaptive” component only takes effect after they have finished a set of questions.

Rather than having two Math sections and an English and Reading set of sections, the new digital SAT will have a combined Reading & Writing section, accessible via two modules. The Math sections are combined into one calculator-active Math test that also is presented as two modules.
The first module of both the Reading & Writing and Math test (“module 1” or “M1”) will feature a mix of easy, medium, and hard questions. All Reading & Writing questions are in multiple choice format, as are most Math questions; however, some Math questions are answer-entry format. Both modules on the Math section feature an onscreen calculator available for students. Depending on the student’s performance on this first module, they will either be presented with a second module (“M2”) of similar or greater difficulty.
The test is far shorter than before. It will take 2 hours and 14 minutes, down from 3+ hours for the paper-and-pencil test. Each Reading and Writing module contains 27 questions and lasts for 32 minutes. The two modules are presented first on every digital SAT, back to back, followed by a 10 minute break. After the break, the two Math modules follow, each featuring 22 questions and lasting 35 minutes. The test as a whole thus features 98 questions down from 180 on the paper test–good news for anxious students, but on a shorter test every question is far more important to a strong score!

As before with the paper test, there is no penalty for incorrect answers. However, due to the adaptive structure of the two modules, if students fail to score enough questions right on the first module of either section, they will be given the baseline second module, and their score for that section will have a ceiling of 600-650. The only way to score higher is to perform well enough on the first section to be administered the more difficult second module on either the Reading & Writing or Math sections of the test.
Because of the question weight variance, there is also no raw score on the digital SAT. Students who receive the same number of incorrect answers can receive very different scores–depending on which module they made errors in and the difficulty level of the questions they scored incorrect. There will also not be access to completed tests–the scoring process is essentially blind. The only insight or way to predict a likely score will be to work through digital, adaptive practice tests available via CollegeBoard.
Early testing has shown that achieving an average score will be of relatively the same difficulty as on the paper test. However, a strong score on the digital test will likely be more challenging. (Example score results:

If your student is taking the PSAT this Fall, they will only be able to take the Digital PSAT.
If your student plans to apply to college before March 2024, they will be taking the paper-and-pencil SAT.
If they will be applying after March 2024, they will have to use the digital format.

Students can take the digital SAT at any site currently offering the paper test as of March 2024. Students can not take the test at home. They can bring their own device (a laptop or a table, not a phone) or request access to technology through CollegeBoard.
Accommodations are available for students at the same ratio as before (time-and-a-half).
Within the digital test, students will have an onscreen countdown clock and (on the Math section) a calculator for both Math sections. They can navigate through a given module, but they will not be able to return to a prior module once their answers have been submitted. They can annotate text on any question and mark questions for review at the “summary screen” at the end of the module.

If your student plans to submit scores (which they should!) they will need help in navigating the changed structure and components of the SAT. This Fall we will be offering five-week classes covering every topic of the paper SAT test (sign up here).
For students (sophomores) taking the Digital PSAT in Fall 2023, we are offering a 4-hour Workshop (sign up here) to help them prepare, with one-on-one tutoring available to supplement.
For one-on-one work, please use our contact form and we will prepare a customized tutoring plan best suited to their situation.

Roni LaBarberaMay 19, 2023