The testing landscape is changing: the College Board announced that the SAT is gradually transitioning to be a digital test for all students. Leading the change for students in the United States, the PSAT will be digital in October 2023. Then, starting in Spring of 2024, all SATs will be administered digitally. 

Along with the ACT, the SAT is one of the most widely used standardized college entrance exams. The ACT leads the market in our area of southwest Ohio with most high schools offering the ACT as their state-sponsored test. In college admissions, there is no difference between the ACT and SAT–both are accepted and considered equally. Still, some students might opt to try both the ACT and the SAT, and many more students will experience at least one Preliminary SAT (PSAT) at their high school. At Class 101, we are staying ahead of the changes coming to the PSAT and SAT.

How will the SAT change?
Instead of being a paper exam, students will be able to use their own device (such as a laptop or tablet) on test day. It will be conducted on a digital platform called “Blue Book” that is compatible with Chromebooks, Macs, and PCs. 

The platform will contain encrypted questions and track progress to ensure that if a student loses connectivity or power, they won’t lose their work. The online format also reduces the possibility of leaked or compromised test questions. The intention is to increase accessibility for all students. The test will be reduced from three to two hours, and calculators will be allowed for the entirety of the math section. However, many other aspects will remain the same. For instance, it will still be scored on a 1600 scale.

How will the PSAT change?
Some think the PSAT is simply a practice test—an indicator of where a student may score on the SAT. Most don’t know that, for juniors, the PSAT is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program—one of the most prestigious honors a high school student can earn.

The PSAT will be digital for our students this fall (2023).
See the full guide from The College Board here: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/psat-nmsqt-student-guide.pdf

• * It is shorter than the previous paper test: two hours and 14 minutes instead of almost three hours. 
• * Although it is shorter overall, there is more time to answer each question. 
• * The reading passages are shorter. 
• * There is a built-in calculator that can be used on the entire math section.
• * The digital PSAT/NMSQT uses multistage adaptive testing. Each test section (Reading and Writing, Math) is divided into two equal-length, separately timed parts. Student performance in the first module determines the questions they receive in the second module. Because of this, students are less likely to feel discouraged or overwhelmed by the test content.

Are you taking the Digital PSAT in October 2023?
At our Class 101 location, the fall PSAT review class is by invitation only.  If you think you want to experience the Digital PSAT to preview the DSAT, or if you want to strive for National Merit Scholarship Recognition in the top 3% of scores on the PSAT, let’s talk about our PSAT Class! The 2023 PSAT Class will be on September 10, 11, 17, and 18. Please email [email protected] for more information.