ROCHESTER, N.Y. — More changes are coming for high school students preparing to take the SATs in March. 

Jamie Ryder has been preparing for the test at Sylvan Learning since January. 

“So, I did something wrong," Ryder laughed. “Quizzes… I have quite a few to do.”

What You Need To Know

  • Jamie Ryder is a junior at Brighton High School preparing to to take their SAT test, which will be offered for the first time on March 9

  • They have been preparing online and in-person for the test at Sylvan Learning

  • Some changes with the test going digital will include more time per question, and computer adaptive questions that difficulty levels adjust to the students' correctness of previous questions

  • The scoring method is still to be determined by the College Board, the company which administers the test
  • Ryder says they feel the generation is more used to virtual education anyway, but teachers had to be retaught on the test and how to best prepare students

Changes for the exam have persisted for years as many colleges move more toward test-optional or are providing more flexibility for students' grades and test scores from the pandemic. 

“Even though colleges are kind of not too concerned with your SAT scores now, I do want to get it because my GPA definitely could be better,” Ryder said.   

Ryder is preparing online and on paper for the first digital SAT that is scheduled for March 9. They say that moving the test to behind the screen comes with its perks. 

“With multiple choice, it's not like you can mark something on your test right, but mark something wrong on your scantron, or have it go out of order. So there’s no worry about that,” Ryder explained. “The bigger time limit is definitely good.” 

The test will now give students closer to a minute and a half on average per question. The digital test will also vary per student as computer adaptive questions will adjust to the students' correctness from the question and section before. 

“That’s sometimes good, but also sometimes been my downfall, especially on like the math ones,” Ryder said. 

Another larger change will be the scoring method. However, the College Board, which administers the SAT, is still determining, and preparing to make some adaptations depending on how students receive this first version of the digital format. 

“So every single time it’s varied based on the difficulty level of the questions and how the country does as a whole with the test that they’re serving. So this will be kind of the same. They do a lot of after-the-fact adjustments to make sure students get into that bell curve,” said Susan Steron, director of Sylvan Learning.

Steron says preparations for the new format have been smooth. In fact, she says many students seem content with moving the test behind the screen. 

“A lot of the generation is digital at this point, but I’m used to it. So it's not too much of like a terrifying transition as like maybe for adults since I’ve taken quizzes and tests online before,” Ryder agreed. 

However, that may not be the case for educators. 

“All of our teachers have taken practice tests themselves. They’ve had to learn how to go through the digital test, get that immediate feedback, which I think a lot of teachers and kids like to do,” Steron explained. 

The digital SAT will remain in-person at a site with a proctor monitoring test takers. Students will now be asked to arrive with the device that they will be using to take the test. Upon arrival, Steron says certain security measures are put in place to ensure there is no plagiarism on the test. According to the College Board website, students are also able to sign up to borrow a device on which to take their test.

Overall, Steron says the best thing for students to do is prepare for the test and take the test, whether it’s online or in-person. 

“I have like around an average that I’ve reached that I'd like to improve. I still have more time,” Ryder said.