Digital Format

As of 2024, the SAT has moved away from the paper-based format and towards a digital format. This change was more than simply moving the test from paper to a screen. In addition to allowing the adaptive nature mentioned in the previous section, the digital format differs in a number of ways from the former paper-based format. These differences are summarized in the table below.

On the current digital SAT, there are only 2 types of sections: Reading & Writing, and Math (with 2 modules each). On the old paper SAT, there were 4 types of sections: Reading, Writing, Math with no calculator allowed, and Math with a calculator allowed. The Reading section was more about reading comprehension, while the Writing section was more about grammar and sentence structure. The new version combines these into a single Reading & Writing section. And now, on Math, you are allowed to use a calculator on the entire test. Not only are you allowed to use a calculator, but they have made the Desmos calculator available in the testing app, which can be very helpful. Additionally, you are allowed to bring your own calculator (if it's one they approve of), so you can pick and choose which calculator to use depending on the calculation at hand.

The old paper SAT was 3 hours long, not counting breaks, while the new digital SAT is 2 hours and 14 minutes long. There is a 10 minute break in between the Reading & Writing section and the Math section, making the total test length 2 hours and 24 minutes if you count the break.

On the old paper SAT, the Reading section consisted of just several long, dense passages, which was each accompanied by a set of questions. On the new digital SAT, the passages are much shorter, usually no more than 150 words, and there is a single question for each passage. Most students see this as a positive change: this makes for much more digestible passages, and less time spent poring through a long passage trying to find the information you're looking for. Furthermore, if you have trouble comprehending one particular passage, it only affects a single question, rather than a whole group of questions.

The Math section hasn't deviated as much from the paper SAT. The main differences are that you can use a calculator on all of it, and that you have access to Desmos. The one downside is that, for problems with diagrams, you can't annotate right on the diagram, but will have to reproduce it on your own scratch paper.

The adaptive nature was covered in the previous section, so we won't get too in the weeds here. Basically, the "adaptiveness" just means that everyone gets the same first module for both Reading & Writing and Math. Then, your performance on the first module will determine whether you receive the "easy" or "hard" second module.

Below is a visual breakdown of the differences between the old paper SAT and the new digital SAT.

Of course, this will depend on who you ask, and what your test-taking strengths and preferences are. But by and large, the changes have been generally well received, and I would definitely argue that it is a net improvement. However, there are certainly some tradeoffs. Below is a table summarizing the pros and cons of the digital SAT relative to the paper SAT.