Achinteya Jayaram

The SAT will convert to a fully digital test starting in 2024. This change may lead to the ACT doing the same, and it could affect the future of standardized testing.

Say goodbye to traditional paper and pencil exams and hello to revolutionary changes to standardized testing. The SAT is transitioning to a fully digital exam format in 2024, and its outcome could determine the future of standardized testing.

During the pandemic, many schools, jobs and organizations opted to switch to an online format of work to ensure academic integrity while remaining quarantined. The College Board crafted an electronic version of the test in 2020 named the eSAT. Technical difficulties and complaints from students shut the production of the eSAT down quickly. 

The College Board was insistent, however, about creating a flexible test that students could complete both online and on paper. They offered a hybrid opportunity, in which students took the test digitally under proctored supervision in a testing center. This method of examination found positive feedback from the students who tested during the trial period.

The stigma around the necessity of online testing was prominent during a period of uncertainty, but with the world slowly returning back to normal, the usage of online tests was presumed to be discontinued.

However, The College Board saw numerous advantages for students testing digitally. Converting to online testing allows more students to access the SAT, making the test more convenient and easier to take.

Some students, such as sophomore Harjeevan Singh, expressed optimism for the new changes. “With the world becoming more technologically advanced, we’re seeing a multitude of services and other activities switching to digital versions. Standardized tests have had optional digital versions in the past but this is the first time one has converted into a full online version,” he shared.

Despite the numerous benefits possible with digital testing, students are still skeptical. A majority of universities going test-optional means students aren’t required to submit standardized test scores.

Students that do plan on taking standardized tests still have trouble deciding whether to take the SAT or ACT. “Switching to an online version will definitely alter many students’ decisions on which test to take. Some may feel that they perform exceptionally with digital tests, while others prefer a traditional paper and pencil test,” Singh continued.

Although schools have gone test-optional in recent years, many students still test in attempts to boost their application statistics with hopes of improving their admission chances.

These new changes will be especially important for millions of high school juniors and sophomores planning on taking the SAT in 2024. Various resources students use to study for the test will be less effective with the transition, such as practice tests taken on paper. 

Senior Achinteya Jayaram took the SAT on paper in 2023. “I’ve only taken the paper test, so I can only speak to the fact that I’m comfortable with taking the paper test. But, I can say with certainty that people will abhor the transition into digital SAT, especially with the first few tests,” Jayaram stated.

In the past, College Board has had problems with online AP testing, as it is difficult to manage the various technical errors that can occur. Digital testing holds several uncertainties, such as faulty technology or unstable internet connectivity. Not to mention, testing online would require every student to possess a laptop or valid electronic device, posing a financial burden on families and schools.

The question of whether or not colleges should look at test scores from both paper and digital exams differently is at hand. Jayaram, who is submitting his application prior to the switch, is unsure of how the two scores will be weighted. “There’s not a whole lot of information about how the scores will be calculated, so you don’t know if similar scores on the digital or paper will be weighted differently,” he explained.

With the SAT’s radical switch to a fully online standardized test, it’ll be interesting to see how the results compare to previous years. This change of method could encourage administrators of other tests such as the ACT to do the same. A transition to digital testing would add to the list of modern normalities converting to online methods in this technologically advanced state of the world. 

Modifying the SAT into a digital exam can either revolutionize the norms of standardized testing, paving the way for other major exams to follow, or it can flop, ultimately displaying the ineffectiveness of digital testing.