Overview:
The Digital SAT was first introduced in the March 2023 testing administration, replacing the paper SAT for all international students taking the exam. Exactly one year after international students, students in the United States will be required to take the Digital SAT, beginning in March 2024. Once the shift to the Digital format is made, the paper-based test will no longer be offered by the College Board.
The Test’s Scoring:
The numerical scoring scale of the Digital SAT will remain the same; both Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math will be scored on the 200-800 scale. The composite score will thus also remain on the same 400-1600 scale. Additionally, the College Board assures students that paper SAT scores are equivalent to scores obtained through the digital format: “scores on the SAT will mean the same thing, so a score of 1050 on the digital SAT corresponds to a score of 1050 on the paper and pencil SAT.”
The Major Differences in Test Format:
With that being said, there are differences between the two formats of the SAT. The first notable distinction between the two formats of the test lies in their composition of content; the digital SAT is comprised of two Reading and Writing modules, and two Math modules (that both allow the use of a calculator), while its soon-to-be predecessor contains a reading section, writing section, and two math sections (one permitting the use of a calculator, and one forbidding it).
Additionally, the timing and number of questions present within the two formats of the SAT are notably different. The charts below details the distinctions in test format:
|
Format |
Paper SAT |
Digital SAT |
|
Verbal Section 1 |
Evidence-Based Reading (52 questions in 65 minutes) |
Reading and writing module 1 (27 questions in 32 minutes) |
|
Verbal Section 2 |
Writing (44 questions in 35 minutes) |
Reading and writing module 2 (27 questions in 32 minutes) |
|
Math Section 1 |
No-calculator math section (20 questions in 25 minutes, calculator not permitted) |
Math Module 1 (22 questions in 35 minutes, calculator permitted) |
|
Math Section 2 |
Calculator math section (38 questions in 55 minutes, calculator permitted) |
Math Module 2 (22 questions in 35 minutes, calculator permitted) |
*Information in the table from College Board. Link: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/digital-sat-test-spec-overview.pdf
The digital SAT is only two hours and fourteen minutes, as opposed to the three hour duration of the paper version of the test. The digital format features a total of 98 questions, while the paper version contains 154 questions.
Unlike its paper counterpart, the digital SAT will feature an adaptive form of testing. One’s performance in module one will dictate the respective difficulty level of the questions in module two.
Impact on Students:
The Upper School Director of College Counseling, Chris LaTempa, offered his perspective on the oncoming shift in testing format: “I think it is really going to vary student to student. I think some students prefer the traditional paper method. And I think for a lot of students, they may end up preferring the digital method because it is shorter and students have more time per question.” In regard to the content on the exam, LaTempa added that “the questions are supposed to be asked in a more straightforward way … the reading passages are going to be shorter, and there will be less questions per reading section, so that may help students out.” Additionally, he remarked that “some students are just more comfortable with a computer and testing from their personal device.”
Additionally, LaTempa reflected on some challenges that the shift to the digital SAT could bring for students: “making sure your device is charged, making sure the Bluebook app is downloaded, these are things students have not had to worry about taking the paper exam.” The Bluebook app is the software required for taking the digital format of the exam.
When asked about the effect of the shift to the digital SAT on student preparation for the test, Upper School mathematics teacher Michael Omilian stated that “the general knowledge and techniques used in [students’] classes will be reinforced in SAT prep classes, so I don’t see it having any effect [on preparation].”
Junior Miles Wilkins ’25 offered insight into his perspective on the two formats, stating that “it might benefit some students, but not all because some might find it easier while others might find it more challenging to be taking a test of that length digitally.” Additionally, Luke Iacono ’25 discussed an important motivating factor for the shift to a digital format, highlighting that the Digital SAT offers a way to efficiently deliver tests to communities where there may not be large amounts of students taking the exam.
