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The SAT Gets a Makeover
PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo
Students taking the SAT will soon be able to put away their No. 2 pencils. Starting in 2024, the college admissions exam will go digital and get shorter, a major shift in format. The new, online SAT will take two hours instead of three, include briefer reading passages, and allow students to use a calculator. The changes come amid mounting criticism that the exam favors wealthy students while penalizing those who don’t have access to preparation classes. In recent years, many colleges and universities have made standardized tests optional, a trend that accelerated during the pandemic as testing sessions became inaccessible or were canceled. It remains to be seen whether these changes will mollify critics, but so far, young people seem to favor the new version of the SAT; 80 percent of those who tested the digital version said they found it less stressful. “With input from educators and students,” says Priscilla Rodriguez of the College Board, the nonprofit that owns the SAT, “we are adapting to ensure we continue to meet their evolving needs.”