On 25 January 2022 College Board confirmed that the SAT would become a digital test. It set out a timetable: the SAT would go digital internationally in 2023 and in the US in 2024. The PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 8/9 would switch in 2023 and PSAT 10 in 2024.
Key facts
- Announced 25 January 2022
- International 2023
- US 2024
- Length About 2 hours (was 3)
- Where School or test centre, not at home
What would change
- The test would last about two hours instead of three, with more time per question.
- Reading passages would be shorter, with one question each, covering a wider range of topics.
- A calculator would be allowed across the whole Math section.
- Students and schools would get scores in days rather than weeks.
- Students could use their own laptop or tablet or a school device, and College Board would lend a device to anyone without one. If the connection or power failed, students would not lose work or time.
What would not change
The SAT would still be taken in person at a school or test centre with a proctor, not at home.
What this means
This was an announcement, not the change itself. The international switch happened in March 2023 and the US switch on 9 March 2024. Anyone preparing today should use the digital format only and practise in the Bluebook app.
Some promises in the announcement have shaped the test as it is now. The digital SAT is still sat in person, still scored from 400 to 1600, and still allows a calculator across Math. Score release is quicker than in the paper era: College Board’s current schedule puts most weekend scores about two weeks after test day. If you are comparing old advice with new, trust anything written after March 2024.