College Corner: Changes to SAT, what juniors should expect
Counselor Martina Torres works with students in her office on March 21. On March 23 juniors will take the SAT, which will be experiencing changes in the coming years.
March 21, 2022
On March 23 juniors will take the SAT, which will be experiencing changes in the coming years. There are pros to the new changes, along with cons.
Since 1926, juniors and seniors have been taking the SAT on a certain date for three hours. There are four sections: math, (no calculator), math (calculator), reading and writing and language. In total, there are 180 questions. Since the beginning of the SAT, the tests have been taken with a booklet and a number two pencil. But starting in 2024, there are a few changes that may be good or bad for students.
One new change is the fact that instead of taking a paper and pencil test, the SAT will now be taken digitally. Along with the SAT now being digital, the test time will be reduced from three hours to just two hours. With the shorter time, this also means fewer questions.
Another change to the SAT is the ability to use a calculator during the whole math section. In previous years, the only part in which the use of a calculator was allowed was during the fourth and final section of the SAT. Now, students can use a calculator during both math sections of the SAT.
The final change to the SAT is getting test results in a matter of days, instead of months. This is because the computer grades the test instantly instead of it being graded manually. Now instead of building up anxiety over what your grade is for months, the anxiety will be over in a few days when you get your test results.
With the manual test, you can annotate the document, while with the digital test, you cannot annotate. With the digital test, though, the sections are expected to vary based on your performance. This can make the test easier on some students. The manual test has questions that already are made and do not vary on your skill.
