Every ten years, College Board reevaluates the SAT, how it is administered, how it is scored, and makes any changes they feel will benefit the students taking it. The last change to the SAT was in 2014, when the test was changed from a scale of 2400 to 1600. On Jan. 25, College Board announced the most significant change in recent memory which will be implemented nation-wide in 2024.

The most significant change is that the SAT is going from a paper-and-pencil fill-in test, to a completely virtual format. Students will be allowed to take the test on their own laptop or one issued by College Board. In order to avoid any inconvenience, the SAT will save students’ work and time in case they lose connection or power.

Furthermore, College Board is taking measures to avoid cheating. The College Board’s news site states, “Going digital allows every student to receive a unique test form, so it will be practically impossible to share answers.”

Digitalization is not the only change to the SAT. College Board plans to make the test “easier to take, easier to give, and more relevant,” according to Priscilla Rodriguez, the vice president of College Readiness Assessments at College Board.

Based on feedback from pilot testers, teachers, and proctors, College Board has made the newest version of the SAT directed towards test-takers. One of the other changes is that the test will take less time. It is about an hour shorter, and there will be more time allotted for each question. 

The individual sections of the SAT have their own changes, too. The reading section will boast more relevant, shorter passages, and there will be only one question for each passage. The math section will now allow a calculator on all sections, instead of the previous “Calculator” and “No Calculator” sections. 

After taking the test, scores will be received in days, not weeks. Also, there will be reports after taking the test that will give students information about life paths after high school. The College Board news site states, “And, to reflect the range of paths that students take after high school, digital SAT Suite score reports will also connect students to information and resources about local two-year college, workforce training programs, and career options.”