In 2025, the SAT will undergo a complete transformation. The College Board, which has long been the standard for college admissions tests, is introducing the Digital SAT—a major shift from the traditional paper-based test. This change promises to make the SAT experience faster, more efficient, and better suited to the technological world we live in. But what does this mean for students preparing for the test? Let’s dive in and explore all the crucial details, from the major changes to how it will impact your preparation strategy, and how to stay ahead of the curve!

What’s New with the Digital SAT 2025? 🚀The Digital SAT will be radically different from the traditional paper test. The most noticeable change is that the test will be completely digital—no more filling out bubbles with a pencil. The College Board's decision to go digital stems from several reasons, including advancing technology, feedback from students, and the need for more flexible testing. Let’s break it down:

Key Changes to the Digital SAT 🔍

1. Shortened Test Duration ⏱️One of the biggest changes with the Digital SAT is the shortened exam time. The paper-based test typically took around 3 hours, but the Digital SAT will be completed in just 2 hours and 14 minutes—about a third less time! This means less fatigue and a more focused experience for test-takers. The time reduction will allow students to maintain their energy and concentration throughout the test.

2. Adaptive Testing 💡Gone are the days of static questions! The Digital SAT will use adaptive testing, meaning the difficulty of questions will change in real-time based on how you perform. The test is divided into two main sections (Reading and Writing, Math), each with two modules. Your score on the first module will determine the difficulty of the second module. This personalized approach helps better assess your abilities and allows you to perform at your best.

3. Reading Passages 📖The lengthy reading passages of the old SAT will be replaced by shorter, more focused mini-passages. This change aims to improve your ability to quickly read and comprehend texts without feeling overwhelmed. Each passage will now have only one question attached, making the test less time-consuming.

4. Calculator Usage 🔢In the Digital SAT, you’ll have access to a built-in graphing calculator throughout the entire math section. No more worrying about bringing your own calculator or not having the right one. This feature will level the playing field for all students, ensuring everyone has the same tools.

5. Faster Score Reporting 🏅One of the most exciting changes is the speed at which scores will be reported. No more waiting weeks to find out how you did! The Digital SAT promises to deliver your scores in days rather than weeks, making the process faster and more efficient.

Why the Shift to a Digital Format? 🤔Several factors led to the College Board’s decision to make the SAT digital, and understanding these reasons will help you get a clearer picture of what to expect.

1. Student Feedback 💬Students have long complained about the rigid, lengthy, and stressful nature of the paper-based SAT. By transitioning to a digital format, the College Board hopes to create a more intuitive and user-friendly experience, minimizing test anxiety and improving overall satisfaction.

2. Technological Familiarity 📲In today's world, students are accustomed to using technology for learning and problem-solving. The Digital SAT embraces this shift by utilizing interactive tools and a digital interface, making the test-taking experience more natural and accessible.

3. Accessibility 🌍The shift to digital also aims to increase accessibility, especially for students in rural or underserved areas. A digital exam is easier to distribute and administer, making it possible for more students to take the SAT without needing to travel long distances to a testing center.

4. Test-Optional Trends 📝With many universities adopting test-optional policies, the College Board recognized the need for a more relevant and adaptable test to remain competitive in the ever-changing landscape of college admissions.

How the Digital SAT 2025 Will Affect Your Test Preparation 📚Preparing for the Digital SAT will require a shift in strategy. With the test becoming more adaptive and digitally integrated, here’s how to adjust your study approach to ensure success.

1. Master Digital Tools 💻One of the key aspects of the Digital SAT is becoming familiar with the tools available during the test. From the built-in graphing calculator to the digital notepad, you’ll need to become proficient in using these features. Make sure to practice with the Bluebook app, which will be used for the Digital SAT, so you can get comfortable with these tools before test day.

2. Use Adaptive Learning 🎯Since the Digital SAT is adaptive, the difficulty level of questions will change based on your answers. To prepare for this, focus on taking practice tests that mimic the adaptive format. This will help you get used to pacing yourself and adjusting to the more challenging questions as you go along.

3. Practice Time Management ⏲️With the reduced test duration, time management will be more crucial than ever. The shorter test time means you’ll have less time to answer each question. Practice pacing yourself and make sure to use the "Mark for Review" feature for tougher questions so you can come back to them later.

4. Stay Focused and Calm 🧘While the shorter duration is a positive change, it may increase pressure to answer questions quickly. Maintaining a calm and focused mindset will be essential. Incorporate stress-reducing practices into your study routine and simulate test-day conditions to practice staying calm under time constraints.

The Impact on College Admissions 🎓The introduction of the Digital SAT will likely affect college admissions in several ways.

1. Quicker Results Lead to Faster Admissions Decisions 📈With scores being delivered within days, college admissions offices can now make decisions more quickly. This could mean faster responses to your college applications and a more streamlined process.

2. Changes in Score Interpretation 📊Since the Digital SAT uses adaptive testing, colleges may need to adjust how they interpret scores. Instead of looking at a static score across the board, they may now need to consider how the adaptive format reflects a student’s abilities in a more personalized way.

3. Increased Flexibility for Test-Takers ⏳The digital format allows for easier rescheduling and testing windows, meaning you may have more flexibility when it comes to test dates. If you can’t make one test date, you can easily reschedule and take the test at a later time.

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Messages from CollegeBoard:

​March and May SAT Administrations

In response to the rapidly evolving situation around the coronavirus (COVID-19), College Board canceled the May 2, 2020, SAT and SAT Subject Test administration. Makeup exams for the March 14 administration (scheduled for March 28) were also canceled.

Students who already registered for May, whose March test centers were closed, or who do not receive March scores because of any irregularities will receive refunds.

Future Testing Opportunities

​We know students are anxious about how the coronavirus crisis will affect their college application process, including taking the SAT. We’re committed to being flexible and innovative to give all students opportunities to test as soon as the situation allows. We’ll share more details as soon as possible, but right now we can tell you the following:

• Currently, the next SAT is scheduled for the first weekend of June. We’re working with test centers and we’ll decide whether we can safely hold that administration as soon as it’s feasible, given the evolving public health situation.

• We’ll add U.S. and international test administrations in response to canceled administrations. We’ll be flexible in making the SAT available in school and out of school as soon as the public health situation allows. We’re looking at a range of creative solutions to address increased demand and are in direct conversations with states and districts about School Day administrations. Throughout, we’ll continue to place a special focus on students with fee waivers and those with accommodations.

If, unfortunately, schools cannot reopen this fall, we’re pursuing innovative ways to ensure all students can still take the SAT this fall. We’ll provide updates about those plans if they become necessary.

Resources and Support

To help students keep their college readiness skills sharp when many schools are closed, College Board and Khan Academy® will continue to provide free resources online, including full-length practice tests and personalized learning tools.

Together with our member schools and colleges, we will be flexible, thoughtful, and collaborative in exploring ways to continue to support student learning and provide opportunities to test during this challenging time.

Our focus will remain on student safety and ensuring students have the tools they need and opportunities to succeed on their path to college.

Please check this page regularly for updates.

If you have questions or concerns about your scheduled testing with College Board programs, please contact us as soon as possible. Given the high volume of inquiries, wait times may be longer than normal.

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College Board released a giant 211-page specification for the redesigned SAT, first coming out in Spring of 2016. ​

The College Board has promised that the new SAT test will test skills that are more predictive of success in college and beyond. We find generally that the SAT changes in 2016 accomplish this goal.

Greater Emphasis on Reasoning Skills and Context, Not Skills in Isolation
Historically the SAT has tested skills in isolation. Vocabulary-based questions would basically evaluate whether the student knew the common definition of that word (like "expropriate"). Writing questions would often test a single grammatical rule in a single sentence. Math questions would test a single math concept for a question of limited scope.
Instead, the new SAT emphasizes higher-level logical and reasoning skills. The Reading and Writing questions are now entirely passage-based, giving more opportunities to test a deeper understanding of how the passage is logically constructed and to draw connections between different parts of the passage. The Math section emphasizes more practical, realistic scenarios and introduces multi-step problems.

Fewer Learnable "Tricks"
The SAT has often been criticized for asking deceptive questions and for using tricks to complicate questions. This meant that students who performed well in school may do poorly on the SAT simply because they were unaccustomed to the presentation of questions.
As a result of emphasizing higher-level reasoning, the new SAT features fewer tricks, particularly in the Math and Writing sections. The skills tested are more difficult, but the presentation is more straightforward.

Format Changes

• The SAT is now scored out of 1600.
• The Reading and Writing sections on the current SAT have been combined into a single section in the new SAT, with a maximum score of 800. Writing is now known as "Writing and Language."
• The Math section is still scored out of 800.
• The Essay is optional and has changed dramatically.
• Instead of 5 answer choices for each question, there will be only 4. This doesn't necessarily make the test easier since the SAT will just remove the most unlikely answer.

Overall Gist of Changes to the Reading Section 

• All questions are now based on passages.
• The subject matter of passages are pre-determined. There's 1 passage concerning US and World Literature, 2 for History/Social Studies, and 2 for Science.
• Some passages will now contain data and require interpretation of data.

Greater emphasis on: 
vocabulary in context; command of evidence; constructing logical arguments; scientific reasoning.
Lesser emphasis on:
difficult vocabulary and vocabulary in isolation.

Reading Questions You'll Never See Again
Sentence Completions: 
These questions often tested more difficult vocabulary, and it was difficult to answer correctly without knowing the definition of the word. 

New Reading Question Types
Evidence Support Questions: 
For the first time, the SAT Reading section will have questions that build on each other. The student will be prompted to answer a question about the passage - for example, the author's tone or stance on a topic - and in the next question be asked to cite evidence for the answer in the previous question. Here's an example:

​The actual passage can be found on page 88 of the SAT specifications. This type of question builds on the SAT's desire to move toward higher-level reasoning skills. The student will need to support his or her answer with evidence from the passage.

Data Reasoning Questions: 
For the first time, the SAT Reading section will include figures that show data. The student will need to interpret the data in the figure and place it in the context of the overall passage - for example, how does this figure support the author's argument?

This type of data analysis and graph reading has never before been tested on the Reading section of the SAT. Especially tricky questions will likely be inference questions - for example, "the author is least likely to support which interpretation of the data in this figure?"
​
Student Study Tips for the New Reading Section:

• Because the passages now test higher-level reasoning and ask you to analyze arguments, reading real-world examples will be helpful like never before. Understanding and deconstructing pieces from well-written publications like the New York Times will help your understanding of how effective arguments are made.
• The new science passages will not be heavily focused on science. You won't need to know any formulas. You will have to know how to read graphs and understand their relevance.
• Evidence Support questions are double-edged swords. Because they’re intertwined, they can be an opportunity to check your thinking - if you can't find evidence that supports your answer to the first question, you can catch your mistake. However you can bet that the SAT will also try to lead you astray - if you pick a wrong answer to the first question, they'll give you a corresponding wrong answer on the second question.
• Personal biases have always been a common cause of mistakes on the SAT. Your job isn't to interpret the passages, it's to find the answer within the passage. But because the passages are now more relevant to real life and will draw from recent examples, you now need to be in greater control of your personal biases. The SAT will always try not to be controversial but you'll be more at risk for personal bias. 

Know the order of difficulty
SAT questions can be divided into three levels of difficulty: easy, medium and hard. The questions in the first third of each section are easy, those in the second third are medium and those in the last third are hard. (The only exception is the Reading Comprehension passages, which do not follow this order.)

Every question on the SAT is worth an equal amount. So spend your time making sure you get the easy and medium questions correct and tackle the hard questions if time remains. Rushing through the test to get to the hardest questions will only drag your score down.

Look for wrong answers instead of right answers
Don't know the right answer? It happens. But if you know which choices are definitely wrong, you will significantly improve your chances of getting the question right. This is called process of elimination.

Each question has 5 possible answer choices. Eliminate one or more possibilities, and your chances of guessing correctly are 25% or better. An incorrect guess will cost you only a quarter of a point. A correct guess will add an entire point.

Let's say there are 8 questions where you eliminate 1 choice and guess among the remaining 4 choices. Statistically, you will guess correctly 2 times and incorrectly 6 times. You are rewarded 2 points and penalized 1.5 points. You just earned .5 points by guessing 8 times.

Own your test booklet
You paid for that test booklet, personalize it. Scratch work is extremely important on the SAT. Don't be embarrassed about it—writing in your test booklet will help you keep your mind focused.

• Mark up geometry diagrams. Keeping track of your work directly on the page will help you avoid careless mistakes.
• For sentence completion, you will need to come up with your own word or two to help you answer a question. Write these down! Trying to keep track of information in your head can lead to confusion and errors.
• When you use process of elimination to eliminate a wrong answer, cross it out! Don't leave it there to confuse you if you have to choose between two remaining answer choices.
• When you answer a question but aren't entirely confident in your choice, circle the question or put a big question mark next to it. That way, if you have time to go back at the end of the section, you can find the question easily and quickly.
• When you answer a question but aren't entirely confident in your choice, circle the question or put a big question mark next to it. That way, if you have time to go back at the end of the section, you can find the question easily and quickly.