Brian appeared on CBS Miami last week to discuss what parents should know about the new Digital SAT test. Check out the interview here!
Digital SAT Tutoring Myths and Facts
The SAT will be making the most significant change in its history when it switches from a linear, paper-based test to an adaptive, computer-based test in March of 2024 for students in the United States. Given this overhaul, many tutors and test prep companies may not present the reality of what high quality Digital SAT and Digital PSAT test preparation should entail. Let’s break down the three biggest Digital SAT Myths and set the facts straight.
Myth #1: You can use the same materials to prepare for the Digital SAT as you did for the paper SAT.
Fact: The Digital SAT has many never-before-seen SAT question types that require a complete overhaul to current test prep.
The Digital SAT has many new types of questions:
- Rhetorical Synthesis writing questions that ask you to integrate information to accomplish a task
- Targeted Quantitative and Textual Evidence questions that ask you to determine what would support or undermine an argument
- Poetry, Humanities, and Drama Analytical Reading questions
- Mathematics questions that allow the use of a built-in Desmos Calculator
- Individual Digital SAT reading/writing questions accompanied by short texts of no more than 150 words (instead of the current multi-question passages of up to 750 words)
Given all these changes, using the same old books and materials as used with the current SAT will not work. To make the changes even more significant, a major source of material for many test prep providers will no longer be available. The Question-and-Answer Service currently allows students who take the SAT in March, May, or October to pay for access to their test booklets and answers. Many test prep providers make copies of these booklets and use them as the material for their students. The College Board is putting an end to this practice by no longer having the Question-and-Answer service. Periodically, new practice tests will be made available online, but there will be far less material available directly from the test makers. Given this lack of material, many test prep providers may suggest that the paper-based Question and Answer services will work to prepare students for the Digital SAT. While there are some overlaps in the math and grammar content of the old SAT and the Digital SAT, it would be a disservice to students to not have a new body of material ready to go for the redesigned test.
Myth #2: The same strategies and methods that worked on the paper SAT will work on the Digital SAT.
Fact: The adaptive nature and new interface of the Digital SAT demand major changes to testing strategies and instructional methods.
The Digital SAT will have a section-adaptive format in which the second module of the Reading/Writing and the second module of the Math will be easier or more difficult depending on the student’s performance on the earlier module of each type. This means that each question will have more of an impact on the score and that students may feel more stressed when they try to predict whether they are taking the easier or more difficult module. Digital SAT tutors should be able to help students develop a personalized plan to manage their pacing and test anxiety given these new parameters.
The Digital SAT has an extremely useful Desmos calculator embedded into its interface, enabling students to use new approaches to attack inequalities, systems of equations, parabola problems, and absolute value questions. A high-quality Digital SAT tutor can show students how to fully take advantage of this new calculator tool, along with other embedded tools like the annotation feature, answer-eliminator, and countdown timer.
Currently, the strategies for the paper-based SAT reading passages are geared towards helping students focus for longer periods of time to absorb the general meaning of a 750-word text. Also, students on the paper-based SAT can skip around on questions when they don’t fully understand the meaning of the text, trying more specific and easier questions before attempting broader and more difficult questions on a given passage. With the Digital SAT reading questions, students will need to think deeply about shorter selections of text and thoroughly consider argumentative evidence on several questions. There will also be a much greater emphasis on vocabulary knowledge with words-in-context questions, so students should be sure to bolster their knowledge of complex words. Tutors must update their instruction to reflect the new reading comprehension strategies needed to succeed on the Digital SAT.
Myth #3: Everyone should just take the ACT since it is familiar.
Fact: Tutors should recommend the Digital SAT or the ACT based on what is best for the student, not for the tutor.
The ACT has remained in roughly its current form for many years, and there is a wealth of preparation books and released tests available for students and tutors to use. Since the Digital SAT represents a true revolution in test prep, the business models of many tutors may be at risk—they will no longer have the Question-and-Answer services available from College Board to create their curriculum. Thus, many tutors may recommend that students steer clear of the Digital SAT. While the ACT may be better for some students and the Digital SAT better for others, be wary of those who may recommend the ACT simply because it has been around for longer. Many students will like the new format of the Digital SAT and should not be dissuaded from trying it simply because a switch to this test would be inconvenient for the tutor.
If you need help preparing for the Digital SAT, we at BWS Education are ready to go with updated methods and materials to help you do your very best. We had the first publication about the Digital SAT to market in August of 2022, a comprehensive Digital PSAT book released in May of 2023, and an upcoming Digital SAT book coming out in August of 2023. All these books have questions and strategies fully aligned with the very latest information from College Board. We have also compiled a wealth of free Digital SAT Resources for anyone to use. When you prep with BWS, you will work with tutors who are at the very cutting edge of the transformation of the SAT. We look forward to working with you.
Devices for the Digital SAT
The College Board has recently updated the details about the devices requirements for the Digital SAT and Digital PSAT. The following types of computers/tablets are permitted:
–Windows laptop or tablet
–Mac laptop
–iPad
–School-managed Chromebook
I highly recommend that you purchase or borrow one of these devices before the actual test date for these two reasons:
- You can download the BlueBook App ahead of time and practice with it prior to the actual test. On test day, you will use the same application for the actual test.
- While the College Board will provide you with a device if you need it, you will have to apply for the device at least 30 days in advance to allow for shipping. You can make this request when you register for the Digital SAT. Even with this application, an adult reference (a school counselor or teacher) will need to fill out a questionnaire confirming you need the device. Given these obstacles to borrowing a device, you will be much better served by finding a device well in advance and practicing with it ahead of time.
Best of luck to those taking the first international Digital SAT on March 11th!
–Brian W. Stewart
New Digital PSAT Book
My brand new Digital PSAT book will be released on May 2, 2023. With millions of students taking the Digital PSAT for the first time in October of 2023, there is a great need for new material to help students prepare. This book has four full-length Digital PSAT practice tests, all aligned with the content and format of the new Digital PSAT. In addition, there are new strategy chapters and practice exercises to help students prepare for the many new types of Digital PSAT Reading and Writing questions they will encounter:
–Central Ideas and Details
–Textual Command of Evidence
–Quantitative Command of Evidence
–Inferences
–Words in Context
–Text Structure and Purpose
–Cross-Text Connections
–Rhetorical Synthesis
–Transitions
–Boundaries
–Form, Structure, and Sense.
Also, since the Digital PSAT and Digital SAT have the same format and question types, international students taking the Digital SAT this year can use this book to prepare.
–Brian W. Stewart
New Digital SAT Practice Tests
The College Board released four new non-adaptive full-length practice tests for the new digital SAT. These tests are designed for students who will take the digital SAT with accommodations that allow for a paper-based test. You can download them here:
https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/digital/digital-practice-preparation/practice-tests/linear
You can also practice the four released SAT digital practice tests in the computer adaptive format by downloading the SAT BlueBook app here:
https://bluebook.app.collegeboard.org/
These tests are excellent practice for International students taking the digital SAT starting in March of 2023 and U.S. students in March of 2024.
New Free Digital SAT E-book
I am very excited to share our new Digital SAT e-book! It has a full-length practice test and test-taking tips. The e-book is available to download to your kindle on Amazon.
Digital SAT Update
The College Board just released the test specifications for the new digital SAT. Here is the most important information about what is changing on both the SAT and PSAT as they switch to digital formats in 2023 and 2024. The most important change is that the SAT and PSAT will now be adaptive–the difficulty of the later sections will change based on the performance on the first sections.
Reading and Writing
- The Reading and Writing sections will be combined–students will see both Reading and Writing questions on the same test section.
- Each question will be on a single passage that ranges from 25-150 words.
- There will be new genres of passages presented, along with the continuation of fiction, historical documents, science, and social science. Students will now have some poetry and drama selections.
- There will be two Reading/Writing sections, each taking 32 minutes, each having 27 questions.
Math
- The topics covered in the math will remain virtually identical to what is covered on the current SAT and PSAT.
- There will still be multiple choice and student-produced response questions.
- The math test will be broken up into two sections of 35 minutes, each having 22 questions.
Takeaways
The SAT and PSAT are largely staying the same. Even the evidence-based questions on the reading, which I though might go away on the digital format, will remain. The grammar and math concepts will overlap with what is currently tested. The new digital SAT and PSAT should be less intimidating to students–the time constraints are quite generous, and students will need to stay focused for just over two hours to complete the exam.
I would encourage you to check out the sample questions available from College Board to get a taste of what is to come.
Please visit our blog for further updates on the new digital SAT and PSAT.
–Brian Stewart
The New Digital SAT and PSAT
The College Board announced that the SAT and PSAT are updating to a digital format over the next 2+ years. Here is anticipated timeline for these changes:
For current sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the United States, these updates will have no impact on their SAT test experience. Freshmen are scheduled to take the digital PSAT in the fall of their junior year–that will be their first experience with the updated digital format. These same freshmen would then be on track to take the digital SAT in the spring of their junior year–over two years from now.
What will be different on the digital SAT and PSAT?
- The test will be adaptive. Students will take one Reading/Writing question module, and the second Reading/Writing question module will be different depending on the performance on the first section–the math section will also have this two module format. Students who performed well on the first module will receive more difficult questions in the second module, and those who did not perform as well will receive less difficult questions.
- The digital SAT and PSAT will be shorter. Instead of taking around 3 hours, the new digital SAT will take around 2 hours. As with other adaptive tests like the GRE, the College Board hopes to obtain the same information about students’ skills in a shorter amount of time.
- Calculators will be permitted throughout the math section. The digital SAT will have a built-in calculator program (apparently much like the one found on the Desmos website). Students will still be able to bring their own approved calculators if they prefer. Roughly a third of the current SAT math is done without a calculator.
- Students will take the test on a laptop or desktop computer. If students do not have a computer, they will be given one to use. The computer will have a testing program that will lock down other parts of the computer, so students will not be able to surf the web or chat during the SAT. Students will be able to download the testing software on their personal devices prior to test day.
- Schools will have more flexibility as to when they offer the in-school SAT. Currently, there are a handful of designated days allowed for test administration. With the digital SAT, schools will be given a month or so over which time they can administer the SAT to different groups of students over different days.
- There will be shorter reading passages. At this point, we do not clearly know if the new SAT Reading will continue to have longer reading passages. We do know that the digital SAT will have at least a few shorter reading passages that have one question tied to them. I personally am skeptical that the SAT will retain its predictive validity unless they continue to have longer reading passages–after all, students read longer materials in college. I hope to get more clarity on this issue soon and I will update you as soon as I can.
- The test should be more secure. It will no longer be possible for cheaters to obtain copies of the questions and passages they will find on their test, since the test will be adaptive. This change is especially important for international SAT testing, which has been plagued by test score cancellations because of test security issues.
- Students will receive more helpful career and college information. The College Board is making a concerted effort to connect students not just to four-year college programs, but to vocational and trade programs. So even if a student is not planning on going to college, the SAT will still provide targeted and relevant career guidance.
- Scores will be available more quickly. Currently it takes weeks to receive SAT test scores; digital scores will take less time to be available.
What will be the same on the digital SAT and PSAT?
- The SAT and PSAT will still test the same fundamental skills. Unlike the last major test revision in 2015, this is not a complete redesign of the SAT; it is principally a change in formatting. Students will still need to demonstrate skills in reading comprehension, grammar & editing, and mathematical problem solving.
- Scores will remain the same. The SAT will still be out of 1600, giving colleges the same metrics they have relied on for several years.
- Minimal changes to test preparation should be required. The SAT will continue to provide its free resources on Khan Academy, helping students bolster their skills in reading, grammar, and math. As a tutor, my recommendation to current freshmen would not change–do not worry about full practice tests at this point; focus on taking rigorous classes in school, and reading widely outside of school. When the GRE shifted from a paper-based to a digital/adaptive format, very few test preparation changes were needed; I would anticipate a similar situation with the digital SAT.
- Colleges still want to see your test scores. Please see my post on 5 reasons to take the SAT and ACT for more details.
What comes next for the digital SAT and PSAT?
The most important thing for any standardized test is to clearly demonstrate that it can make valid, fair predictions. So far, the digital SAT has only been administered in a pilot program to fewer than 500 students around the world. The College Board outlined their extensive research agenda for the digital SAT over the next 2.5 years:
If the College Board cannot clearly demonstrate the predictive validity of the digital SAT, they will have to make adjustments to it or postpone its implementation. Here are some questions they will need to answer before they can pull this off:
- Will students who bring in their own laptops to the SAT have an unfair advantage over those who are provided one by the test site?
- Will students who have a specific accommodation that allows them to take the SAT using paper/pencil have an unfair advantage or disadvantage over those who take it digitally?
- Will students who experience technological outages and interruptions have statistically valid scores as a result?
- Will the flexibility that the College Board is allowing schools in administering the test lead to a lack of a standardized testing experience?
- Will the digital SAT withstand efforts by hackers to access the question banks?
- Will students who live in rural areas have the same access to digital testing as those who live in urban areas? How will differences in Internet speed and availability of computers be handled?
The bottom line is that sophomores, juniors, and seniors do not need to worry about any of these changes. In the coming years, we will know much more about the specifics of the digital SAT as the College Board completes its research trials. If you have questions about the new digital SAT and PSAT, please reach out to us.
End to SAT Subject Tests and the SAT Essay, and Digital SAT Development
The College Board made some major announcements today. First, they are immediately discontinuing SAT Subject Tests (the one hour tests in subjects like Literature, Math Level 2, and Chemistry) for students in the United States. They will continue to offer SAT Subject Tests for International Students who wish to take them in May or June of 2021. Students may still be able to submit existing scores from SAT Subject tests, but should check with individual colleges on their policies. If you are registered to take an upcoming SAT Subject Test, the College Board will cancel your registration and give you a full refund.
Second, the College Board is phasing out the SAT Essay by June of 2021. Students who need to take the SAT Essay for their state’s school day administration will still be able to take it. All the other parts of the SAT–Reading, Writing & Language, and Math–will remain the same.
Third, the SAT is developing what they call a “more flexible SAT—a streamlined, digitally delivered test.” They will provide more details about this in the spring.
What does all this mean for high school students?
- The SAT and ACT will become more important. Students who previously could show their subject knowledge with multiple-choice SAT Subject Tests will no longer have that option. With fewer tests that colleges will consider, each test will become relatively more influential.
- AP and IB test results will become more important. One major reason that the College Board gave for eliminating the SAT Subject Tests was that students already have the opportunity to show subject knowledge with AP exams. Top AP test scores–like a 4 or 5–will be a critical component of college applications. If students are in the International Baccalaureate program, scores from those exams can also show college readiness.
- There will likely be a digitally adaptive SAT in the future. My best guess as to what the SAT has in store for the digital SAT is a test much like the current GRE. The GRE is adaptive–if you are performing well, you get more difficult questions, and if you are performing poorly, you get easier questions. By having an adaptive format, the digital GRE takes about half the time a paper version of the test would take. I believe that in the coming years, the SAT will be offered both as a longer paper test, and as a shorter digitally adaptive test. A digital version of the test would require much less time for a school-administered version, making it a popular option.
Stay tuned to our blog for the latest updates on SAT test changes.