Similar to homework and tests in recent years of education, the Scholastic Aptitude Test or better known as the SAT, is going digital. This is going to be a game-changer for students all over the country. Most students have adapted to doing work digitally with modern technology because of the pandemic, so this could be the turn for the better. There will be many new changes to the SAT such as reduced length, changed rules, less relevance in college admissions, and more efficient ways of getting test results.

The current length of the SAT is about three to four hours long and is changing to about two hours. They are doing this by shortening the reading sections, which has been a prominent time consumer in this test. In addition, these reading sections will become easier for the students to understand. In the past, the readings were purposely hard to dissect and analyze to test the student’s brain.

The digital SAT will bring new additions and changes to the test that will be more convenient for the students. The big change is going to be in the math sections. Rather than the students being able to use their calculator in the calculator-only section, the students will be able to use their calculator through the whole math section. Before this, there was a no-calculator section.

Bryce Smith (22) says, “The SAT has been making a push towards being digital for almost five years now so I am not surprised that they are finally converting to digital. I do not mind them making it online as it will conserve a lot of paper and reduce some of the methods of cheating and miss-marked answers.” This change could be a leap for the better in many ways. Not only for the students but for the environment as well.

The main reason students take the SAT is for college admission and to test their knowledge. Now that the SAT is getting easier and easier for students, many colleges across the country are making the test optional for students, and are not requiring students to get a certain score on the test or to even take the test at all. 

Joseph Sisneros (22) says, “I believe that the SAT going digital has its upsides and downsides. It’ll make it easier and more accessible due to the fact that kids are more familiar with technology than they were back then. It also presents the opportunity for instructors to monitor the kids while they take the test and see what could be going through their heads as they answer questions. These observations could lead to deeper analysis in a child’s thinking and ultimately show them what they do well on and what they struggle with.” With the implementation of modern technology, the SAT will be able to analyze each student’s academic performance in a more in-depth way than the previous.

The SAT moving to digital is going to create a more efficient, less stressful, and easier test for students throughout the country and the world. With the progression of technology in recent years, this could be a huge step for the academic world.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/25/us/sat-test-digital.html