Since its creation in 1926, the SAT (the Scholastic Assessment Test), has undergone several revisions and is a commonly used tool in the college admissions process. Though many colleges offer test-optional applications, SAT scores are still a significant component of many students’ applications. Standardized testing, including the SAT, has become a highly controversial topic. People argue that these tests highlight socioeconomic differences and are not a valid measure of intelligence or achievement, among other complaints.
In order to combat these claims, the College Board has recently announced several significant changes they are bringing to the SAT. These changes will be effective internationally in 2023 and within the United States by 2024, meaning the current freshman class will be the first to test out the new SAT. The exam, which currently lasts a total of three hours, is being shortened to only two hours. This could be advantageous for students who find they have difficulty focusing after long hours of testing. At the moment, the SAT is split into two distinct math sections, a section in which calculator use is permitted and one in which a calculator is not permitted. In the future, the SAT will allow the use of a calculator throughout the entire math section. Some students believe this is a disadvantage in comparison with the current SAT, as they perceive the non-calculator section to be easier than the calculator portion of the test.
Arguably the biggest change is the shift from a paper-pencil test to a completely digitized version. The SAT will be fully online and will become an adaptive test, meaning the questions increase in difficulty as students get them right, and get easier as students get them wrong. A student in the class of 2025, who wished to remain anonymous, said “[She] would prefer taking the SAT on paper because [she] would concentrate better.” Though many online standardized tests already exist, many students prefer to take a paper-pencil exam that they can interact with physically and that “maintains the same level of difficulty throughout the exam, which will motivate people to study harder.” One feature of the future version of the SAT that is advantageous is that results will be reported back much faster.
The changes to the 2024 SAT will have a drastic impact, especially by changing the way the test is administered. Whether these changes will prove to be an advantage or disadvantage for incoming classes is unknown. It remains to be seen if these revisions will make the SAT more relevant or add fuel to the fire of the controversy over the test.
