Big Changes Coming to the SAT

The SAT is going digital. The new format is set to be released internationally this year and in 2024 in the United States. (The ACT has offered limited online options since 2016 but will pilot a digital iteration of the test more broadly beginning in December.) Once ubiquitous in admissions, entrance exams have seen their relevance diminished with the pandemic and the rise of test-optional policies. More than 2,000 colleges are not mandating the SAT and ACT for fall 2024 admissions, according to FairTest, a group that advocates for limited use of assessments. In response to critics who say that the pencil-and-paper format rewards students who “think fast and shallow”—while punishing those who “think slow and deep,” the new digital SAT will be shorter overall to minimize time pressure. The College Board discovered that 97 percent of students complete every question in a section on the digital SAT with up to seven minutes to spare.