by Brian Eufinger, Co-Founder, Edison Prep
Many students have heard rumblings about the SAT exam going fully digital in 2024. And many families have questions about whether and how their student(s) will be impacted as the SAT transitions to the new format. A full comparison of the current versus new format is below, but in short:
Who is not impacted: Class of 2023 and Class of 2024
Who is impacted: Class of 2025 (including those pursuing National Merit consideration on the October 2023 PSAT), Class of 2026, and beyond.
Here are five important points about the new Digital SAT:
- It’s adaptive: The new SAT aims to maintain precision, while having fewer questions, by using two distinct “modules” of questions for each topic: Reading/Writing and Math. The difficulty level of the second module will depend on how a student performs on the first module: it “adapts.” This means that students in each classroom will not have the same questions in the same order, but a custom blend of questions based on their performance. Performance on the first module also determines a student’s possible score range.
- It’s time-efficient: Students will likely enjoy that the test is 25% shorter and that scores will come back faster than the current SAT. An on-screen Desmos(R) graphing calculator is built-in for the math section, and the unpopular no-calculator-allowed section is going away. On the other hand, students may need to redraw figures on the scrap paper provided, costing them valuable seconds.
- The scoring scale remains: Fewer questions could mean more volatility at the top end of the score curve, though the adaptive nature of the test may mute that impact. Because scores will remain on the 1600 point scale (800 from Reading/Writing, 800 from Math), students will still be able to superscore their best section scores across multiple test dates.
- Special Timelines for the “Bridge Class” of 2025: The Class of 2025’s decision-making process will straddle the old and new format, much like the last SAT format tweak in 2016. Specifically, Class of 2025 students should either
- Start slightly earlier and take the existing SAT in August, October, November, and/or December of 2023 before the switch to digital,
- Wait to take the SAT until after the new test debuts in March 2024 (spring semester of junior year), or
- Take the ACT instead.
- No student should plan on taking the December 2023 SAT as their first attempt, since if they don’t hit their desired score, they’ll no longer have the format they studied for available!
- High-Quality Practice Materials:
One valid concern that many families (and Edison Prep!) have re: the new Digital SAT is whether there will be sufficient high-quality SAT practice tests for the Classes of 2025 and 2026 before the new test rolls out. In prior SAT switches (e.g. 2016), only four practice tests from College Board were initially available, and many students will mow through four tests long before they are done preparing. To bridge that gap, Edison Prep has partnered with three other experienced tutoring companies and a talented software developer to build a new Digital SAT practice platform called Assessiv. This will provide Edison Prep’s students (and any students who sign up independently for Assessiv) unlimited practice questions and carefully calibrated practice tests to supplement the official College Board tests. Assessiv’s chief software engineer has a resume steeped in artificial intelligence (AI) work, meaning the platform will get smarter as students take more exams. Families who want updates on Assessiv can sign up for email updates on the Assessiv webpage!
Want to test out the new, Digital SAT?
The College Board just released its first full-length Digital SAT Practice Test in September 2022; it can be downloaded here.
Who is Edison Prep?
Edison Prep is a local Sandy Springs-based tutoring company that has worked with over 19,000 students on the SAT, PSAT, ACT, and more since its founding in 2010. Brian and Silvia Eufinger, the co-founders, teach all of the SAT/ACT group classes and work alongside the rest of their small team of highly experienced tutors doing private tutoring as well.
Edison Prep is frequently invited to speak about test prep, college admissions, and scholarships at PTSA meetings at Atlanta-area high schools as well as Edison Prep’s free online parent meetings re: college admissions, test prep, and scholarships. They have spoken at national education conferences and are sought-after guests on national podcasts covering education and cutting the cost of college. Finally, they offer free mock tests each weekend to the community, both in person and virtually.
Questions? Reach out anytime at edison@edisonprep.com or 404-333-8573!
