Reflections of a Tutor Who Just Took the Digital SAT
In December 2023, the College Board held its last pen-and-paper SAT tests. Going forward, the SATs are going to be completely digital.
The digital SAT test will still measure the same skills, be scored out of 1600, and be administered at testing centers or schools. However, it will be adaptive, shorter at two hours instead of three, and can be taken on a laptop or tablet, including personal devices.
That’s great news, but what does it mean for students? And how exactly can they prepare for this new format?
The digital SAT – it’s here, it’s now, and it requires a new set of test-taking strategies. One of our master SAT tutors took the test recently and then compiled a list of insights and tips to help students confidently navigate digital changes. Here’s her intel.
Before the Test: Preparation and What to Bring
1. Timely Arrival and Setup
Arrive on time because the check-in process might take longer than you expect; it includes two steps:
1) Your ID and test registration are verified before you’re admitted
2) Once in your testing room, a further electronic check-in process is required on the Bluebook app. Know your College Board login details, as you’ll need these to set up your test.
If you are a public-school student taking the test at a public school in your District, know your student ID and login credentials for the District internet, because you may need them to access the Wi-Fi.
If you attend a private school or charter school, come from another public school district, or are homeschooled and taking the SAT in a public school, connecting to Wi-Fi at your testing centre may be more difficult. For some locations, you may need to bring your phone to facilitate Wi-Fi access on your device.
2. Power Up
As the College Board advises, you need a device that can hold a charge for at least 3 hours: the combined Bluebook check-in, test administration, and test submission can take that long. While you’re allowed to bring a charger with you, be aware that most testing occurs in public school classrooms with few outlets.
Test your device’s battery before test day, and if it won’t last three hours, either borrow a device (you can arrange in advance to borrow a device from College Board) – or invest in a portable charger. Regardless of which device you use, make sure it's fully charged on test day.
3. Essential Gear
In addition to your device, there are other supplies you may want to bring. If you use a laptop, bringing a mouse and mouse pad can significantly speed your navigation through the test – a small but critical advantage.
If you have a tablet, bringing a keyboard will allow you to use shortcuts on Desmos, the built-in graphing calculator in the Math section, and so give you more time for solving harder problems. And, although you have access to Desmos during the test, bringing a personal handheld calculator can save you time on math operations that don’t require graphing.
Lastly, opt for pens over pencils for scratch work to encourage more efficient problem-solving without the temptation to erase, which wastes time.
4. Know Your Tools
Familiarity with Bluebook, the test’s digital interface, is key. This includes knowing how – and when – to use tools like answer elimination, mark for review, annotation, line reader, reference sheet, and Desmos calculator functions.
Be comfortable with your device: practice taking Bluebook tests on your device before test day – especially if you are borrowing a device from someone else. By practising, you’ll increase your navigation speed and confidence on the real test.
Lastly, make sure to log out of or silence social media notifications on your device before test day: the last thing you want is to have your digital SAT test invalidated because of an unfortunately timed call or message.
During the Test: Managing Time, Distractions, and Scrap Paper
1. Handling Distractions
Beware! The testing environment can become noisy and distracting at times. Suppose some students have trouble remembering their College Board login or have difficulty with their devices. In that case, the proctor may start the test for the rest of the test-takers and then assist the students who need individual help, a potential distraction for everyone else.
In return, those late-starting students can be distracted by the other test takers who will take their breaks earlier and finish earlier.
Because students in your testing room may have slightly different start, break, and end times, be prepared to deal with disruptions during testing, including the sound of knocking, doors slamming, talking, eating, and packing up. Before test day, practice taking a test in a distracting environment to identify strategies that work best to help you refocus after disruptions.
2. Time Management
You can’t close out modules early or end breaks early, so taking advantage of your time wisely within each section is crucial. Don’t get used to ending sections early or skipping breaks on practice tests you take at home. Instead, develop strategies to get the most out of your time, including how to efficiently check your work.
On the other hand, if you tend to finish modules a few minutes early, avoid the temptation to over-scrutinize and change answers with which you were previously comfortable. Additionally, if you know you get anxious about time, hiding the timer on your screen during the test may help you focus better on the test rather than fixate on the countdown.
Nevertheless, know that the timer will reappear and turn red when you have 5 minutes left. The proctor will not warn you when you have 5 minutes left, nor will he or she release you for breaks. As soon as the first section is over, Bluebook will notify you of your break, which you should immediately take ‒ even if you don’t need it.
While you’re allowed to leave the testing room to eat, drink, talk, or use the restroom, be as unobtrusive as possible if others are still testing. If you need an unscheduled break during the test, you can take one, but the timer won’t pause.
However, if you have accommodations for breaks as needed or extra breaks, listen carefully to your proctor’s directions before the test starts to explain how to access these breaks through Bluebook. If you do have these accommodations, it may be beneficial to use them around other students’ breaks so their noise won’t disrupt your testing.
3. Scratch Paper Strategy
Most proctors will distribute only one piece of scrap paper; however, you’re allowed to ask for more during the test. If you're shy about doing so, plan your space wisely. You can divide your scrap paper into 32 sections – 16 sections on each side – by folding it in half twice horizontally and twice vertically. This will help you keep your work organized and make it faster to check later if you need to.
Test Content and Strategies: What to Expect and How to Prepare
1. Reading and Writing
While College Board has combined the Reading and Writing sections from previous tests into one section on the digital SAT, the order of the questions still follows roughly the same format – more reading-oriented questions in the first half of each module and more writing-focused questions in the second half of each module.
The writing questions tend to take less time to solve, so you may want to start with the last question (number 27). Work backwards until you reach the last reading question, which usually appears around question numbers 13-17 and typically asks for what “logically completes” a sentence or what “evidence supports” a specific claim.
Once you reach this last reading question, jump to question number 1 and work forward until you have completed all the questions in this module. This strategy prevents rushing because the reading questions take longer, and completing them first may cause you to feel pressured to speed through the rest of the test, leading you to miss questions.
Instead, by finishing the shorter writing questions first, you’re left with more time to devote to the more complex and time-consuming reading questions.
The difficulty level of the questions generally matches the practice tests on Bluebook, but you may come across a curveball, especially regarding questions asking about evidence or inferences, requiring you to interpret graphics, or presenting you with literature or historical passages written in older English.
The best way to prepare for these types of questions is to practice with similar questions released by the College Board and to read more complex texts, like newspapers, research articles, or books outside of schoolwork. Additionally, most of the passages written in older English are pulled from American history or literary classics that are usually taught in high school (so pay attention in class!). You could also work with a tutor for SAT to prepare effectively.
Grammar and vocabulary questions reflect typical SAT standards, but be ready for shifts in the difficulty and context of questions. Understand what constitutes a complete sentence, and memorize your punctuation, subject-verb, and pronoun-antecedent rules. Also, know “tier 2” vocabulary words!
Make Use of Annotations: Take advantage of the annotation tool in Bluebook. Mark important lines, main ideas, or tricky vocabulary in the passage. Doing this can help you quickly locate information when answering questions.
Manage Your Time Wisely: Practice pacing yourself. Allocate more time for reading questions since they require careful analysis and less time for writing questions which are usually quicker. Time management is important to ensure you can thoroughly answer each question without rushing.
Practice Active Reading: While reading passages, actively look for the main idea, author's tone, and key arguments. This will help in quickly answering questions related to the passage’s purpose or the author’s perspective.
2. Math
The Math questions within each module generally flow from simpler to more complex, so it’s best to tackle the questions in the order presented. However, skip problems you don’t know how to solve – or that you know will take you a long time – and return to them later.
Remember, the digital SAT test has a mark-for-review tool enabling you to easily find your skipped questions later. Once you have solved all the problems you know, go back to the ones you skipped and try a few different strategies: plug in the answer choices, use nice numbers, or try eliminating answer choices that are not realistic.
Do not leave any multiple-choice questions unanswered; always make a guess – but don’t waste time guessing on a student-produced response question if you don’t know how to solve it.
Know the rules for inputting the student-produced responses – and know them before test day! You don’t want to waste time on the test day by reading the rules, and you also don’t want to get a question wrong because you formatted the answer incorrectly. Pay attention to any question-specific directions that ask you to convert to a different unit or round your final answer.
Your familiarity with the built-in Desmos calculator is invaluable; you not only need to know how to use the functions in Desmos, but you also need to know which problems you should and should not use Desmos. This tool can save you a lot of time when used correctly ‒ especially on questions involving linear equations, quadratic equations, systems of equations, and graphing – allowing you to spend more time on harder questions or questions on which you cannot use Desmos.
Beware, however, that Desmos can take more time to do simpler operations, and for these calculations, also having a personal handheld calculator is important.
The math section covers a range of topics from pre-algebra to trigonometry, with a significant emphasis on critical thinking and translating word problems into equations—both essential skills for success. Practice these skills with questions from the College Board before the test, but make sure to also know your foundational concepts and formulas.
Memorize Key Formulas: Make sure you know essential math formulas by heart. While the test provides a reference sheet, knowing them by memory can save valuable time.
Utilize the Review Tool: The mark-for-review feature in the digital format allows you to flag questions you're unsure about. Use this tool to revisit challenging questions if time permits.
Understand Graphs and Data: Be comfortable interpreting graphs and data sets as these are common on the SAT. Practice with different types of graphs and understand how to extract relevant information quickly.
Practice Word Problems: Many math questions on the SAT are word problems. Practice translating these problems into mathematical equations as efficiently as possible.
Post-Test: Final Thoughts and Considerations
Leaving the Test Room
Exiting the test room can be disruptive for others still testing. Be mindful and collect your belongings quietly to minimize disturbance. Make sure to take everything with you as you may not be able to return to the room. Your proctor will collect your scratch paper on your way out.
Concluding Advice
The shift to digital testing is significant, but with the right preparation and mindset, the new test format can be smoothly navigated. Understanding the technical aspects of the test environment, practicing with the digital format, and preparing for the content and pacing of the questions are absolute necessities.
As always, thorough preparation and a calm, focused approach on test day are your best strategies for achieving a top score on the SAT. Wishing you the best of luck!