The digital adaptive SAT launched in March 2024. The PSAT started using the digital adaptive format in October 2023, and the two tests continue to use the identical structure pictured here.
The digital SAT is administered in proctored settings at schools and test centers. Students may use their own laptops or tablet devices. This ‘section-adaptive’ testing can assess students’ skills accurately in two hours, 14 minutes instead of three hours for the old paper tests. As shown on the diagram, the digital SAT test has four sections or modules — two for Reading-Writing and two for Math. The results on the first modules determine the level of difficulty of the second modules.
The digital Reading-Writing modules have a combination of reading and writing questions, unlike the former test with two separate sections. Reading passages are much shorter and have only one multiple-choice question per passage. That’s a big change from the former SAT with longer passages and 10 questions per passage.
All math questions on the digital SAT are calculator-allowed. Students may use their own approved calculators and/or the Desmos graphing calculator built into the SAT testing platform. Like the former SAT, the digital math test includes some grid-in questions, where students must supply the numeric answer (not multiple choice).
The digital SAT continues to be scored on the 1600 scale. On the old SAT, all questions were weighted equally regardless of difficulty. On the digital SAT, harder questions count more than easier ones but there is no such indication that students can see. The score reports no longer show raw scores (the number of correct answers). There is no more Question & Answer Service (QAS), a helpful study tool that reported which questions the student got right and wrong. College Board no longer reveals questions from official digital SAT at any time. While digital tests are more secure than paper tests, this new SAT process is considerably less transparent than the old SAT or current ACT test.