PASCO COUNTY, Fla — Sebastian Marquez and Caton Gant are both high school juniors in Pasco County. Both recently took the digital SAT for the first time. The biggest change is it’s a lot shorter. Now two hours to finish, compared to three for the paper version.
“It was a lot easier to manage. I wasn’t tired. I wasn’t fatigued. I could focus more,” said Gant.
“After you take it you don’t feel completely wiped out,” said Marquez.
Other changes with the digital SAT include:
- Shorter reading passages with one question for each.
- Calculators are allowed in the entire math section.
- The test is now adaptive, meaning the better you do, the harder the questions will get. If you are struggling, the questions will become easier.
In their digital debut, Caton’s SAT score stayed the same.
While Sebastian’s dropped a bit.
“Maybe it was the first time taking it on a digital test felt weird. I had done one practice test on College Board, but that was about it for practice for the digital one,” said Marquez.
The College Board says 84% of students reported a better experience with the digital SAT compared to the paper version.
This comes after many colleges dropped requirements to take the SAT and ACT during COVID.
Some stuck to the test-optional policy while others still use test scores as part of the admission process.
Rachel Fretz-Cianci helps students and parents navigate it all with Aspirian Education Consulting Firm.
“I recommend all my students to take it because it will only benefit them even if a school is test-optional. Submitting your scores, that’s what we go over too. Depending on how they did. Is it going to benefit them or not,” said Fretz-Cianci.
In the meantime, there are always opportunities to take the test again to try and get a better score.
That means lots of studying.
“Blackboard and Khan Academy which they partner with has the practice test for them. And plus there is a lot of other resources where you can get assistance in actually preparing for the SAT,” said Fretz-Cianci.
“I consider myself to be a highly achieving student so I put my all into it,” said Marquez.
Students take the SAT using an app called Bluebook, which also includes testing resources, including practice tests.
