The College Board announced this week that it is finally moving into the digital age! Hallelujah! But wait, what does this mean for you?
The new digital test will be unveiled in 2024 in the U.S. That means that the Class of 2025 will be the first cohort to take this test and for it to factor into the admissions process.
But wait, will it factor into the admissions process?
Well, that's an ambitious thought by the College Board. The majority of colleges in the U.S. have a temporary or permanent test-optional policy. And a growing number of colleges have adopted a test-blind policy which means test scores are not considered at all in the admissions process. By the time the new test is unveiled, it is unclear if standardized tests will be necessary.
If they are, the new SAT will last two hours, as opposed to the current test which runs over three hours right now. That is a good thing as long as the test is fair.
The test will be adaptive. Students' questions will depend on how well they do. It also means that students won't have the same questions. It is still unclear how this will translate in terms of scores, but we know the new SAT will remain on a 1600 scale.
Even more changes are afoot, though. Calculators will be permitted. School-issued, College Board-issued, or a student's own device will be permitted to take the test. And scores should be available to students in a matter of days, rather than weeks.
READ MORE: 3 Questions on Submitting Test Scores That I Get Asked Daily
I am happy to see the College Board evolve and make what they call "student-friendly" changes to the SAT. But the test's evolution represents a "Hail Mary" for the organization who is desperately trying to stay relevant in a world that has already proven it can live without a test.
