Digital SAT Administration: Updated Pathway to College Admission

Last year, College Board announced that the SAT Suite of Assessments (SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, PSAT 8/9) will be delivered digitally instead of the traditional paper-and-pencil test starting from 2023 for international students.

While the transition to digital brings a number of student- and educator-friendly changes, many important features of the SAT Suite stay the same.

What doesn't change:

• The SAT Suite will continue to measure the knowledge and skills that students are learning in high school and that matter most for college and career readiness.
• The SAT is still scored on a 1600 scale, and educators and students can continue to track their growth over time.
• The assessments continue to be administered in a school or in a test center with a proctor present (not at home).
• Students still have access to free practice resources on Khan Academy.
• The College Board continues to support all students, including those who need accommodations on the test day.

Bluebook is a new testing application from the College Board. Students use Bluebook to take the digital SAT and digital AP (Advanced Placement) Exams as well as other College Board exams.

Major changes:

• International students will have access to 2 additional SAT administrations each year (adding June and November).
• Students use a laptop or a tablet with Bluebook app installed.
• The digital SAT is shorter - about two hours instead of three for the paper-and-pencil SAT, with more time per question.
• Calculators are allowed on the entire Math section. A graphing calculator is built in the testing app, but students can bring their own too.
• The digital test is more secure and flexible - every student receives a unique test form, so it is practically impossible to share answers.

Q&A

What if a student doesn't have a device? - Students can borrow a computer from the school or the College Board. Meanwhile, according to the Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) program implemented at DAIS, it is expected that each secondary student brings their own personal laptop that meets the school specifications.

What if a student loses connectivity or power, will their work be lost? - The test will automatically stop, and when the student is able to continue the test using the same or different device, it will resume from where you are. This situation doesn’t affect the overall time limit. At the same time, if a student decides to take an unscheduled break (other than the normal 10-minute break between sessions) during testing, he or she will lose time.

Can students access the Internet while passing the SAT test? - No. The screen of the device will be locked once you access the testing app.

How do universities view the digital SAT? - The paper and digital tests weigh equally.

How to best prepare for the digital SAT? - In addition to free practice resources on Khan Academy, there are built-in practice tests in the Bluebook app (the digital testing application that is used for SAT) that are very convenient to use.

Students at Dalian American International School and Dalian Huamei School were able to participate in the first digital SAT administration on our campus on March 11.

A digital SAT test day is much faster and really efficient. Students don't need to bubble any answers and they can see how much time they have remaining. Overall, it was a less stressful experience, and I quite enjoyed it. If you're considering taking SAT, please download Bluebook app and get used to the device.”

Ms. Carrie Sun
College Counselor
Test Coordinator

The next tests are scheduled to take place on May 6 and June 3, 2023. Please sign up through the College Board in advance if you're planning to participate.

The SAT continues to play a vital role in a holistic admissions process. "The SAT allows every student - regardless of where they go to high school - to be seen and to access opportunities that will shape their lives and careers," says Priscilla Rodriguez, vice president of College Readiness Assessments at College Board. SAT test scores can confirm a student's grades or demonstrate their strengths beyond what their high school grades may show and become an advantage on their college applications.