Is the SAT changing in 2023?

SAT Tests Move Online from 2023

By Carli Allan

By Carli Allan

First Published:

Tuesday 8 March, 2022

Updated:

10th Aug 2022

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By Carli Allan

First Published:

Tuesday 8 March, 2022

Updated:

10th Aug 2022

The US-based College Board has announced that SAT tests, taken by students in American curriculum schools worldwide, will move online from 2023.

The SAT, a standardized test widely used for university admissions in the US, will be delivered digitally at international schools from 2023 and in the US from 2024. Students are tested on reading, writing and maths in the SAT, which can be sat at several different times of the year.

Online SAT tests will be taken in school or test centres. The digital SAT will be shorter—about two hours instead of three; it will feature shorter reading passages with one question tied to each; and passages will reflect a wider range of topics. Students will be allowed calculators for the maths section of the exam. SAT scores will be announced within days, rather than weeks, of students sitting their tests. 

After the College Board piloted online SATs in the US in 2021, 80% of students responded that they found it to be less stressful and 100% of educators reported having a positive experience.

Priscilla Rodriguez, Vice President of College Readiness Assessments at College Board said:

"The digital SAT will be easier to take, easier to give, and more relevant.

"We’re not simply putting the current SAT on a digital platform—we’re taking full advantage of what delivering an assessment digitally makes possible. With input from educators and students, we are adapting to ensure we continue to meet their evolving needs.”

There's an expectation that Advanced Placement (AP) exams, also run by the College Board, may also move online – and it has been done before. In 2020 and 2021, AP tests were offered in 45-minute online exams while schools were closed due to Covid-19.

The move has been welcomed by many American schools worldwide. Kathy Abel, Director of Learning Innovation at American International School (AIS) in Hong Kong explains why:

"With the SAT going digital for international students in the Spring of 2023, we're hoping it'll be a positive move! The College Board is promising a more positive experience for students, including a shorter exam, quicker turnaround times for scores, and more connections to alternative paths post high school.

"Schools will also have more flexibility with test dates and the number of test administrations we can offer during the school year. For me personally, I'm pleased that digital testing will be a much greener option--less paper waste and a reduced carbon footprint since there will no longer be a need to ship hundreds of thousands of exams around the world! We're hopeful this will be a good change, and that maybe AP Exams will follow suit in the future."

The College Board may be the the first to make the move to online, but other international exam boards are also preparing for a possible change to digital assessment. In the UK, more than 2,000 students will trial online GCSEs this spring, as part of a pilot run by the UK's largest exam board, AQA.

The director-general of the International Baccalaureate (IB), Olli-Pekka Heinonen, has said that the organisation is looking at how it could bring digital assessment to its Diploma Programme. Speaking to TES in January, Mr Heinonen said that "Digital assessment can open doors to a model that supports learning better than the traditional model…We are trying to create the conditions for us to move to that."

The IB already offers optional eAssessment as part of the Middle Years Programme (MYP), where students are externally assessed through online exams in maths, language and literature, sciences and individuals and societies – something it has done since 2016.

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The College Board announced big changes to the format and delivery of the SAT for high school students in 2023 and 2024.

The new SAT will be "easier to take, easier to give, more secure, and more relevant," said Priscilla Rodriguez, the company's Vice President of College Readiness Assessments.

Here's what you and your high schooler can expect.

Going digital

The biggest change to the test will be a new digital format, which students can take on a personal or school-issued laptop or tablet. For students who do not have access to a device, The College Board has promised to make one available.

Beginning in the spring of 2023, international students will be able to take the SAT online, under the supervision of proctors at testing centers or schools. In fall of 2023, the PSAT will be delivered digitally for students around the world. Then, in spring of 2024, the SAT will be available in the digital format to U.S. students as well.

This means the first U.S. high school students to take the digital SAT will be the Class of 2025 — current high school freshmen.

Tests will be shorter

The new SAT format will only be two hours long instead of the traditional three. Even better news for students: The new reading passages will be shorter, with only one question for each passage, and math questions will be "less wordy," Rodriguez said in the announcement.

Scores will arrive faster

Instead of waiting up to a month for their scores, students could receive them in days, a move The College Board said will help them get "information they need to make key college decisions quicker."

Calculators will be allowed on the entire math section

The current SAT has both calculator and non-calculator math sections, but the new format will allow students to use calculators for the entire math assessment.

One significant addition: A graphing calculator is actually going to be built into the app for students who don't have their own to use. This will eliminate a barrier for students and schools with fewer resources.

Every test will be unique

Thanks to the digital format, The College Board said it will be able to deliver a different test to every student to help eliminate cheating or problems with test security. In turn, schools, districts and states will have more flexibility for scheduling tests. Currently, there are strict protocols about how and when the SAT is delivered to maintain test integrity.

Some things will stay the same

What's not changing about the SAT is that it will still be scored out of a possible 1600. Students must still take it in a supervised location, not at home. Accommodations will still be available for approved students due to learning differences or medical needs on test days. The range of content and material in the test itself will remain the same.

The changes to the SAT come in the wake of disruptions to test administrations due to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021. It also comes at a time when institutions like Harvard and Boston University and the state university system of Iowa are announcing ongoing or permanent "test-optional" admissions policies, meaning students who apply without test scores will not be at a disadvantage in their evaluations. Others, including the state university systems of California and Oregon, have even adopted "test-blind" admission policies and will not use test scores at all in evaluating applicants, even if they are submitted.

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Allison Slater Tate is a freelance writer and editor in Florida specializing in parenting and college admissions. She is a proud Gen Xer, ENFP, Leo, Diet Coke enthusiast, and champion of the Oxford Comma. She mortifies her four children by knowing all the trending songs on TikTok. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

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