On January 25, 2022, the College Board announced that the SAT would undergo significant changes, including becoming a computer-based test instead of one you take with pencil and paper. What other changes did the SAT make, why did they make these changes, and when did these changes go into effect? This guide answers all those questions and more.
How the Digital SAT Is Different: 6 Key Ways
Even with the changes to the digital SAT, many major parts of the test remain the same, including the general format and content, as well as the scoring scale out of 1600. But what changes were made to the new, digital SAT? Below are six of the most important.
#1: The Digital SAT Is Taken on a Computer
This is the biggest change: the Digital SAT is taken completely on a computer, not with pencil and paper. The exam can either be taken on a computer at the testing center, or students can bring their own laptops from home (although some testing centers/schools may require you to take the test on their computers only). Students who don't have access to a computer or laptop can borrow one from the College Board to take the SAT. If the internet goes down during the SAT, your work will be saved, and you won't lose time on the test.
It's important to note that, even though the SAT is now digital, it still needs to be taken in a classroom/testing center, with an in-person proctor. You can't be able to take the SAT at home or on your own time.
#2: The SAT Lasts 2 Hours Instead of 3
The digital SAT is a full hour shorter than the old pencil and paper version. The SAT now lasts roughly two hours instead of three. The Math section is 70 minutes long, and the Reading & Writing section is 64 minutes long.
#3: You Have More Time Per Question
More great news: the digital SAT has significantly fewer questions than the old pencil and paper version, and so students have more time per question on the digital SAT. Students have 134 minutes (2 hours and 14 minutes) to answer 98 questions. Time pressure is a major problem for many students who take the SAT, and it's very common to run out of time before you're able to answer all the questions in a section. Hopefully, the new format of the digital SAT will alleviate some of that.
The Reading & Writing section (divided into two modules) is 64 minutes long and has a total of 54 questions, which means you’ll have one minute and 11 seconds per question. The Math section (also divided into two modules) is 70-minutes long and has 44 questions, so you’ll have one minute and 35 seconds per question.
#4: Calculators Are Allowed for the Entire Math Section
With the digital SAT, an onscreen calculator is available for every math question. This means that you no longer need to worry about bringing the correct calculator to the SAT on exam day.
#5: Reading Passages Are Changing
SAT Reading passages have undergone several changes:
- They're shorter
- Each passage has only one question tied to it
- Passages cover a wider range of topics
The digital SAT has a total of 54 reading passages, which might initially sound a little scary. However, there’s good news: each passage is now shorter and is linked to only one question.
On the old pencil and paper version, SAT Reading contained six passages, each about 500 to 750 words long. Each passage had about 10 questions linked to it.
So, even though the number of passages on the digital SAT might seem a little high compared to the old version, these changes were designed to make the passages easier and faster to read and interpret.
#6: You'll Get Scores Back Faster
It used to take between two and six weeks to get SAT scores back, and the colleges you chose for your four free score reports got them about ten days after you did. With the digital SAT, the College Board has promised that scores will be returned within days rather than weeks. Not only does this avoid you waiting a long time, but you might be able to take a later SAT, such as the December SAT, and still meet college application deadlines, when scores would have been received too late previously.
When Did the Digital SAT Go Into Effect?
The College Board announced their plan to transition to an all-digital suite of assessments in January 2022, and it was rolled out in stages. In 2023, digital versions of the PSAT/NMSQT and the PSAT 8/9 were launched, and international students began taking the SAT that year, as well. Spring of 2024 was the last stage of the transition, with the PSAT 10 and national SAT going completely digital. Now, no matter which test you take from the College Board, you’ll take it digitally.
The changes to the digital SAT were designed to make the testing experience easier for students, and many will appreciate a test that's shorter, has less time pressure, and doesn't require bubbling in circles on a sheet of paper. If you’ve been studying for the SAT with paper tests or with materials that don’t reflect the new test format, make sure to up your SAT prep game so you know exactly what to expect come test day!
Why Did the SAT Change?
These are significant changes, so what caused the College Board to make them? For years, there were rumors that the SAT would go digital. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the College Board had considered offering at-home online SATs because test centers were closed, but in June 2020 they announced they were no longer going forward with that plan. However, they still planned to eventually offer a digital version of the SAT. It makes sense that they'd do this as the world increasingly moved online. Many standardized tests, including the GRE, MCAT, and GMAT, are already offered almost exclusively as computer-based tests. Many high school students also take computer-based tests in school now, and it's the format many students feel more comfortable with. So a move to computer-based SATs made sense as it better aligned the SAT and the College Board with current test-taking standards.
As for other changes, such as making the SAT shorter and giving students more time to answer each question, there are two major reasons for them. The first is to decrease stress on students. It has long been known that the SAT is a stressful and challenging test, not just because of its importance for college admissions, but because of how long it is and how quickly students need to solve tricky questions. The College Board has gradually been shortening the SAT over the years (when I took the SAT, it lasted roughly four hours because the (now defunct) essay section was required for everyone). It has often been argued that, even if students have the knowledge to get a high SAT score, the issues of testing fatigue and running out of time before finishing a section can cause them to get low scores. From pilot testing in November 2021, 80% of students who took the digital SAT found it to be less stressful than the traditional SAT.
The second reason for these changes is that the College Board is working to make the SAT more equitable. It's long been known that wealthier students generally score higher on standardized tests, while minority students and those from poorer backgrounds tend to have lower scores. Lower SAT scores can have a negative impact on college applications and stop students from getting into their top schools, even if other parts of their application are strong. With the move to make the actual experience of taking the SAT less difficult, and their continued expansion of free study materials on Khan Academy, the College Board is taking more steps to attempt to make the SAT fairer to all students.
How Will These Changes Affect College Admissions?
Because the digital SAT is still so new, it's difficult to predict exactly how these changes will affect college admissions, but our prediction is that they won't cause much change. The general content, difficulty, and scoring system of the SAT aren't changing much, so we expect colleges to view the digital version of the SAT pretty much the same way they viewed the pencil and paper version. Colleges also make an effort not to penalize students for circumstances beyond their control, so if you take the digital SAT, you don't need to worry about it having a negative impact on your college applications compared to students who took the pencil and paper version.
However, the way that colleges view the SAT (as well as the ACT) has changed significantly in recent years, regardless of these new changes. Many colleges have gradually been putting less weight on standardized test scores and focusing more on other application components, such as GPA, high school classes, and extracurriculars. The COVID-19 pandemic, which made it difficult or impossible for many students to take standardized tests for months, only accelerated this trend. Practically every college became test optional in 2020 and 2021, and hundreds of schools have chosen to remain permanently test optional. If a school is test optional, that means you can choose if you even want to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of your application. If you don't, the other components of your application will simply be weighted more heavily.
The College Board is well aware of these trends, and many of the new changes to the digital SAT were put in place to make the test more appealing to students who might have been turned off by taking such a long, difficult test. However, a poll conducted by the College Board also showed that 83% of students wanted the option to submit test scores in their college applications, and nearly every college still offers the option of submitting them, so the SAT isn't going away anytime soon.
Summary: SAT Going Digital
In January 2022, the College Board announced a major change: by spring of 2024, the SAT would be completely digital and taken on a computer, not with pencil and paper. Since the College Board has now officially launched its final stage of the digital SAT transition, you’ll want to know about the changes so you’re extra prepared come test day.
The six key changes to the SAT are:
- It's completely digital
- It's shorter (2 hours instead of 3)
- You have more time to answer each question
- Calculators are allowed for the entire Math section
- Reading passages are shorter and more targeted
- You'll get your scores back in days instead of weeks
We expect colleges to view the digital SAT pretty much the same way as the current SAT, although, as a whole, standardized test scores are becoming less important for admission to many schools. Make sure to learn about your schools’ testing policies before diving into the digital SAT.
What's Next?
Want to learn more about the SAT? Take a look at our complete guide to what the SAT is and get tips on when to start studying and what resources you can use to get the scores you need for college!
Aiming for a high SAT score? Then check out our expert guide to getting a perfect 1600, written by an actual full scorer.
For more information about the college admissions process, check out our complete guide to applying to college.
