You may have heard that the SAT is going digital. Here’s what’s changing, when it is changing, and what you should do to prepare for the changes.

Changes

Let’s start with what is staying the same:

• The SAT still aims to measure the knowledge and skills that matter most for college and career readiness.
• The scores for the new SAT will still be on the traditional 1600 scale.
• The SAT will still be administered at schools (not at home).

Here’s what is changing:

• You’ll take the SAT and PSAT on a laptop, either your personal device or a school-issued device. If you don’t have a device, College Board will provide one for you on test day.
• The test will be shorter – two hours instead of three, and the reading passages will be shorter.
• You’ll receive your score report more quickly.
• Calculators will be allowed on the entire math section.

Timeline

In the fall of 2023, juniors in the class of 2025 will take the PSAT/NMSQT digitally for the first time. These juniors took the PSAT 8/9 digitally as 9th graders, so it will not be an entirely new experience.

The following spring (2024), the SAT will be given digitally for the first time. That means the juniors who took the PSAT/NMSQT digitally in the fall of 2023 will take their SAT that spring digitally as well.

The graphic below shows the timeline for administering the digital PSAT and SAT.

Preparation

The best option for preparing for the SAT remains the free resources on Khan Academy. College Board partners with Khan Academy to provide full-length practice tests and customized practice based on students’ performance on those practice tests or on actual PSAT and SAT exams.

For more information, see the Digital SAT Suite page on College Board’s website.