OHIO — Changes are coming to the way students test for the SAT.

What You Need To Know

  • The College Board indicated that the digital SAT test would be given internationally this year and to students in the U.S. in 2024

  • Students won’t have the same test questions and the computer will be locked to block access to other sites during the test

  • Test experts will now help students with digital test prep to adjust to the new format 

While many colleges and universities have done away with the requirement of the score, students still taking it can ditch the pencil and paper and now take it digitally. Brian Stewart is a college admissions test prep expert and author of Barron's Digital SAT Study Guide Premium 2024.

He said when students take the test on a computer, they will start with a section that's of moderate difficulty and, depending on how they perform on that first section, they'll then get a section that's easier or more difficult.

Stewart went on to say the test will end up being about two hours instead of three hours long.

Any concerns about the integrity of the test are being addressed as students won’t have the same test questions. Plus, the computer will be locked down so students can't get on the internet or chat.

Stewart said they’ll only be able to access the testing application. He said this should make proctoring easier because test materials won’t be collected. 

While many colleges and universities are no longer requiring an SAT score for admission, he does believe that taking the test will benefit students.

He said the test can help give them access to merit-based scholarships.

"When students do get into the college, it can help ensure that they stay there and can graduate on time because they're able to do college level work. They know how to edit papers effectively, work with challenging quantitative and literary information, so students won't need to take remedial coursework,” he said.

For those preparing in advance, Stewart noted that test prep experts will help students with learning how to adjust to the new format and succeed at taking the test digitally.