When will the digital SAT roll out?
The College Board will retire the current SAT at the end of 2023, and fully transition to the new test in the spring of 2024. The digital version is already being used for international students!
What does the digital SAT look like?
Here are the significant changes to the test. You can find out more on the SAT website here.
- The test is administered in a digital format only. A paper and pencil version will only be made available to students with an approved accommodation.
- The digital test is adaptive. Each section is broken into two modules. The first module includes easy, medium, and hard questions. The second module's mix of questions will be determined by the student's performance in the first module.
- The test has just two sections: a combined reading & writing section and a single math section.
- The reading and writing passages are shorter, and each is followed by only one question.
- Calculators are allowed for the whole math section.
- The digital SAT takes a total of 2 hours and 14 minutes instead of the current 3 hours
- Scores will be available in days rather than weeks.
How does Nurturing Wisdom help students prep for the digital SAT?
- The tutoring process starts with a digital pre-test so that students get a feel for this type of test from the get-go.
- As with any of our tutoring, you’ll have a consultation with a tutoring director so that we can understand your whole child. We want to learn about their strengths and weaknesses, academic experience, learning style, personality, interests, talents, and even their schedule.
- We address four core competencies in our SAT tutoring
- test taking strategies
- academic skills
- timing/pacing
- test anxiety
- Lessons are taught in the context of the new SAT’s digital, adaptive format. We’ve tutored hundreds of students for this style of test, so we are well-versed in how to prepare students to manage it. We’ll also make sure students are comfortable and confident with the unusual question types they’ll encounter on this new version of the test!
- If your child is approved for testing accommodations (such as extended time, multiple day testing, a reader, a writer, or other alternate test formats), we’ll teach them how to successfully apply them.
Should my child prep for the digital SAT or the current version?
If you have a senior, they should prep for the current version of the SAT. If you have a junior, give us a call to figure out the best plan based on when your child plans to take the real test.
How is the digital SAT different from the ACT?
The digital SAT is a very different testing experience than the ACT.
- Not only do students take the SAT on a computer, but the test itself varies from student to student based on how they perform on the first module. Conversely, the ACT is a paper and pencil test, and all students on a given test date receive the same test. (Note: ACT will begin offering the test online in December 2023. However, their test will not be adaptive like the SAT, and they will continue to offer the paper and pencil version.)
- The digital SAT has two sections (reading/writing and math), while the ACT has four (English, math, reading, and science).
- The digital SAT is about 45 minutes shorter than the ACT.
- Scores from the digital SAT are available sooner than ACT scores.
We’d be happy to talk with you more about the best plan for your child. Give us a call!
