SATs online, shorter from 2023; College Board announces major changes

NEW DELHI: SAT exam for college admissions in the United States will be conducted online starting from 2023 internationally and 2024 in the US. The College Board which conducts the tests announced today that the SAT Suite of Assessments will be held digitally.

“In November 2021, College Board piloted the digital SAT in the US and internationally; 80% of students responded that they found it to be less stressful and 100% of educators reported having a positive experience,” said College Board on its official website.

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The change of mode of conduct of SATs has brought student and educator-friendly changes, it said. However, several important aspects of the SAT Suite (SAT, PSAT or NMSQT®, PSAT™ 10, PSAT™ 8/9) will stay the same.

The assessments will still be administered in a school or in a test center with a proctor present and not at home, the board said. Students will still have access to free practice resources on Khan Academy.

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Changes in SAT Suite of Assessments

• The new SAT test will be easier to take, easier to give, and more relevant to today’s students.
• The duration of the test has been reduced to two hours from three.
• The test will have shorter reading passages covering a more diverse range of topics and calculators will now be allowed on the entire Math section
• Results will be declared faster, where students and educators will receive scores in days instead of weeks
• Now, international students will get seven chances to take the SATs, instead of five throughout the year, aligning it with the US market.
• The SAT will be delivered digitally internationally beginning in 2023 and in the US in 2024

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The board said that while many colleges made the test optional during the pandemic, many students took the test to find out their scores and if they wanted to submit scores to colleges. “When surveyed, 83% of students said they want the option to submit test scores to colleges,” the board said.