Old rumors of an all-digital SAT were officially confirmed in January of last year. The College Board will present the first ever PSAT this coming October and the brand-new SAT will debut in March 2024.
Allegedly, the reasoning behind their decision stems from College Board’s frustration when it comes to international security and score delays. The online version is supposed to prevent leaks, and overall, pose as a more modern form of testing.
That being said, College Board is not necessarily “ahead of their time”.
Many other standardized exams converted their material online years ago. This includes the ACT, LSAT, GRE, and more. Typically, these organizations share a common goal: To create a safer, more efficient exam experience. For example, the PSAT itself will now only be approximately 2 hours and 14 minutes long, instead of a near 3 hours. (Not to mention the time saved filling out the packet and listening to the proctor read a lengthy handbook.)
Changes within the P/SAT Exam include the following,
less questions (98 total)
An “experimental” section (unweighted)
Only 2 sections
Adaptive format
Calculator allowed for the entirety of the math section
Additional, never seen before topics
As a student, there are things you can do to prepare yourself for the upcoming assessment. First and foremost, there are endless programs offered around the Country to help educate students on SAT-related material. This paired with some of the online practice tests will most likely help ease the transition into online SATs. Additionally, information about the changes listed above are easily accessible and incredibly helpful. Learning about adaptive questioning or the Desmos graphing calculator are just a few of the steps highschoolers can take to better their understanding, and give them the confidence to succeed on the 23/24 P/SATS.
All in all, most students are fairly familiar by now with the online realm of education and schooling. The digital P/SAT should not be an overwhelming surprise, and with the right amount of practice, every student has the opportunity to excel on future SATs.
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