SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

Big changes are coming to the SAT! In addition to some important changes being made to the test format and content, there’ll also be changes to when and how you get your SAT scores back. We know, we know…this is probably a little stressful for you if you’re getting ready to take the SAT or if you’ve already taken it and you’re waiting on your scores. Hang in there—we’re here to help!

One of the most important questions you’re probably wondering is: when do Digital SAT scores come out?

In this guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about the switch to the Digital SAT and answer this and all the great questions you have about it, including:

• When will the SAT go digital?
• How are Digital SAT scores different from paper-and-pencil SAT scores?
• When will Digital SAT scores be released?
• What to do if you haven’t gotten your Digital SAT scores back
• What to do after you receive your Digital SAT scores

Let’s dig in. 

When Will the SAT Go Digital?

We’ll get right to the point: the SAT is going digital. Between spring 2023 and spring 2024, the College Board will be phasing out its paper-and-pencil tests and moving to a completely digital suite of assessments.

The first phase of the College Board’s transition to an all-digital suite of SAT assessments began in spring 2023. Students who took the SAT outside of the US in spring 2023 were the first group to make the switch. The next group will be all students taking PSAT assessments in fall 2023.

Finally, students taking the SAT in the US (including those taking it on SAT School Day dates) in spring 2024 will be the last group to make the switch to all-digital testing.

So long, paper-and-pencil SAT! 

Timeline for the Digital SAT Suite

Here’s the breakdown for when each SAT exam will officially make the switch.

Let's talk about what makes Digital SAT score reporting unique. (Hint: you won't get your scores via paper airplane.)

How Are Digital SAT Scores Different from Paper-and-Pencil SAT Scores?

With all of these changes happening, you may be wondering if and/or how digital SAT scores will be different from paper-and-pencil scores. 

The College Board states there is a “direct link” between digital and paper-based SAT scores, so scores mean the same thing for the digital test as they do for the pencil-and-paper test. For instance, if you score a 1350 on the digital SAT, that would correspond to a score of 1350 on the paper-and-pencil SAT.

There isn’t any difference in what makes a perfect score, either—the digital SAT will still be based on a 1600-point scale, with each of the two sections (Math and Reading and Writing) scored between 200 and 800 points.

Because the paper-based SAT and the digital SAT are scored the exact same way and measure the same skills and knowledge, schools won’t treat digital SAT scores any differently than they do paper-based SAT scores. So, if your chosen schools require or accept (for schools with test-optional systems) SAT Scores, there won’t be any difference between paper-based or digital SAT scores.

Same SAT scoring? Check.

Same use in college admissions? Check.

Having these important factors stay the same as the SAT shifts to digital delivery is comforting!

How Will the Digital SAT Be Different in Content and Scoring?

The College Board does say that the digital and pencil-and-paper tests “measure similar, but not identical, content.” So, what does that mean? If you took the SAT on paper one day and digitally the next, would you get different scores?

The short answer is…possibly. How the content is delivered is different—after all, one method is on paper, so you’re limited to external tools (like a calculator, scratch paper, etc.), and the other is digital, with tools available in the same online software (like a built-in graphic calculator, a countdown clock, and a way to flag questions in order to come back to them later). These differences alone explain how students might perform differently on a pencil-and-paper test than they would on a digital test. 

The College Board has also explained that they are making changes to the content to “better fit the digital delivery.” However, they’re also clear that the test will measure the same skills and knowledge as the paper-based test. Digital test questions will be more direct, but they will still focus on assessing important information students need to know to succeed in college and beyond. 

There will also be a few changes to the content sections of the exam. For the Math section, word problems will be more concise than they are on the paper-and-pencil test. In the Reading and Writing section, students will see shorter passages with one question each—rather than the paper-and-pencil test that offers longer passages with multiple questions per passage. 

Will Digital Test Scores Arrive Faster?

All students who take the SAT in its current, paper-based form can check their scores online through the College Board’s online student portal. This process will look the exact same for the digital SAT.

The digital SAT will bring one major change to how students receive their scores, though—and it’s an exciting one! The College Board will upload scores to students’ online accounts days—not weeks—after they take their test. This means that schools will receive students’ scores quicker, too! Scores will be sent to students’ selected schools about 7 to10 days after students receive the scores, themselves.

Suddenly a little change doesn’t sound so bad, right?

So, now for the million dollar question: when do digital SAT scores come out?

You don't need a crystal ball to figure out when you'll get your SAT scores. You just need this article.

When Will Digital SAT Scores Be Released?

When the digital SAT goes live for U.S. students in spring 2024, the College Board says that you’ll be able to view your scores online about two weeks after your test date. 

Eventually, the College Board plans to shorten score release times so that students get digital SAT scores “in days instead of weeks.” But right now, international students can expect to wait about two weeks before their scores are released. 

So, if you took the SAT internationally on March 11, 2023, there’s good news: your scores are already available! To view them, check your online score report in your College Board account.

2023-2024 Digital SAT Score Release Schedule (International)

Here’s a quick breakdown of when international test takers can expect digital SAT scores to be uploaded to your account and released to your potential universities. 

*All test dates are anticipated but not yet confirmed by The College Board.
**All score release dates for schools are projections and will depend on the dates students actually receive their scores.

2023-2024 Digital SAT Score Release Schedule (U.S.)

For U.S. students, this breakdown clarifies when to expect scores to be uploaded to your College Board account and released to your chosen schools.

*All test dates are anticipated but not yet confirmed by The College Board.
**All score release dates for schools are projections and will depend on the dates students actually receive their scores.

Again, right now the College Board is planning to have test scores ready for students within a few days of completing the exam. However, they haven’t released specific dates yet, so there’s a chance the score waiting period could still be up to two weeks. We’ll update this article with information as soon as it becomes available. 

To view your digital SAT scores online, you’ll need to login to your College Board account and view the ‘Student Score Report’ home page. Your most recent score will be shown at the top of the page, and all previous scores will be shown below the most recent one (including scores for PSAT-related assessments). 

If for some reason you can’t see your score, you can click ‘My Score Reports’ (at the top of your account page) and select your score report from the drop-down menu.

When Do Digital SAT Scores Come Out for Students Who Take It On SAT School Day?

SAT School Day will also be completely digital starting in spring 2024—so if you take the SAT during school, your scores will be uploaded to your College Board account within a few days of your test date as well.

So, when do digital SAT scores come out for students taking the test on School Day, and when will digital SAT scores be released to your chosen schools?

Testing dates will vary depending on when your school offers the digital SAT for SAT School Day, but no matter when you take it, you can count on receiving your scores within a few days of your test date. Then, your chosen schools will receive your scores about 10 days after they’re uploaded to your student account.

Talk about a speedy turnaround!

Keep calm, carry on...and follow these steps.

What To Do if You Haven’t Gotten Your Digital SAT Scores Back

Maybe you’ve checked your online College Board account a hundred times since your exam date, but there still aren’t any scores uploaded. What’s the deal? 

The digital SAT is still very new, so it isn’t super clear whether all scores will be uploaded within a few days of a student’s test date or if there will be (dreaded) exceptions. In the past, some paper-and-pencil scores have been delayed for reasons like random test audits, red flags on the test, irregularities at the testing site, and backlogs of other score results. We’re hoping the new digital SAT won’t experience any of those issues, but, unfortunately, there’s always a possibility that your scores will be delayed. 

If your scores are delayed and there’s no message about this on your online College Board account, make sure to:

• Check to see if you need to verify your College Board account or email
• Check whether or not you have another College Board account
• Check to make sure the email address you provided is correct
• Check your email account—including your spam or junk folders—for notifications from the College Board

If you check all of those things and still aren’t able to view your scores, you can contact the College Board directly for more information.

Let's fast forward a bit and talk about next steps.

What To Do After You Receive Your Digital SAT Scores

So you took the digital SAT, logged into your College Board account, and found your scores uploaded there.

First of all: congratulations! Hopefully you got the scores you were looking for, but if not, you should still give yourself a pat on the back for finishing the SAT. Whatever your scoring outcome, though, you’re not entirely done just yet. 

Here are just a few options for what to do next.

Add More Colleges To Your Recipient List

If you’re happy with your SAT scores, you can start sending them to any additional schools you’re applying to. The College Board sends them to four of your selected schools automatically and for free, but you’ll need to send additional scores, yourself. The sooner you send your scores, the better. That way you don’t miss any important application deadlines. 

You can send four SAT score reports for free. After those four, each additional score report costs $12 to send. (You can get additional score reports for free if you received a registration fee waiver!)

If you’ve cut it a little too close to the application deadline, you can pay an additional $31 to send score reports via rush reporting, which gets them to your schools within two to four business days.

Retake the SAT

What if your SAT scores aren’t everything you dreamed of? If you still have some time before college application deadlines, you can retake the test. It would be wise, of course, to make sure you have enough time to prepare so you can potentially improve your score.

If you’re wondering whether you should retake the exam, ask yourself these questions:

• What is your target score and how far off are you?
• How much time is left before college applications are due?
• Are there test dates between now and then?
• How much time do you have to prepare for the retake?
• If this isn’t the first time you’ve taken the SAT, what improvements did you see between your most recent scores and previous scores?

If you’re not quite at your target score and you have enough time to prepare before another test date, then you may be a pretty good candidate for retaking the SAT.

Keep in mind, too, that many colleges superscore the SAT. This means that colleges take your highest section scores across all of your test dates. For instance, if you scored higher on the Math section on your first test date and higher on the Reading and Writing section on your second test date, your overall composite score (the final score sent to your chosen schools) would combine only those highest scores. So, you won’t be penalized if you score worse on one or more sections of the retake.  

What’s Next?

Now that you know more about how you'll get your Digital SAT score, it's time to learn more about the new test format. 

You may be wondering if the Digital SAT is a lot harder than the old, paper-and-pencil version. We'll break down the differences—and the difficulty levels—here.

And of course, don't forget to grab Digital SAT practice tests before you start your test prep journey!