2024 SAT Changes: What You Need To Know

08 min read

The SAT has long been synonymous with Scantron bubble sheets and #2 pencils. But on December 2, 2023, the paper-and-pencil SAT will see its final administration, and starting in March, 2024, the SAT is going completely digital. One thing not changing is the impact that a strong SAT performance can have on students’ college (and scholarship) applications, so as the test moves into its new era, let’s take a close look at the changes and, most importantly, what it means for test-takers in 2024 and beyond.

What Is Changing

The Digital SAT marks the biggest change to the SAT in a generation, if not many generations. The digital nature is one big change, but it’s far from the only change and it won’t likely be the one that impacts your score–or your SAT vs. ACT decision–the most. Here’s a summary of the major changes you should know about:

Digital Format. This is the change that’s getting all the headlines. Like so many things in the old analog world, the paper-and-pencil test booklets, Scantron bubble sheets, and #2 pencils are giving way to laptops, tablets, and point-and-click tools. (Not to worry: you can still use your lucky #2 pencil for your scratchwork if you’d like!)
New-Look Reading & Writing Section. This is the update that seems most likely to change how students study. Once separate sections, Reading & Writing will now appear together in the same section, and they’ll do so without their trademark long (up to 750-word) passage format. On the new test, each question will have its own short (150 words maximum) prompt.
Reading Question Types. Along with the shortened Reading prompts comes a significantly different set of questions. Gone are the evidence-based pair questions and the paper-and-pencil “vocabulary in context” type (though some vocabulary/diction questions will still appear in a different form). The test will feature a new emphasis on supporting (and sometimes weakening) claims and hypotheses, and feature an all-new question type that asks examinees to synthesize a student’s notes.
Shorter “Everything.” Reading and writing prompts will be dramatically shorter, and the duration of the test will be significantly shorter, too. The test is shrinking from 3 hours long to a total testing time of 2 hours, 14 minutes, and from 154 total questions down to 98.
Well, Almost Everything. While both the duration of the test and the number of questions will be reduced, the time allotted per question will actually increase a bit.
Expanded Calculator Use. The SAT is also doing away with the “no calculator” math section, and in the digital format even providing an on-screen graphing calculator for students to use (though students can still use their own calculator if they’d prefer, provided it meets the test’s rules).
Adaptive Sections. You might ask how the SAT can ask over 35% fewer questions and still provide accurate scores. The primary factor is that the questions won’t be the same for everyone. Each student will see two Math sections and two Reading & Writing sections, and the difficulty of the second section in each discipline will vary based on the student’s performance on the first. Higher performers will see more difficult second sections with a higher maximum point value available, and those who didn’t perform as well will see more moderately-difficult second sections without as high a potential score available.

What Is Not Changing

Of course, not everything is changing. The College Board is quite confident that the scoring scale will remain the same–e.g. a 1400 next year will represent the same ability level as a 1400 did last year–and that schools will view performance the same way. And that’s because much of the test content and philosophy remains the same. Let’s break down what’s staying the same.

Math Content Coverage. The math sections will change in number of questions and pace-per-question, and students will have access to a calculator throughout, but the same topics and question types (including numeric entry) will still apply.
(Most) Writing Content Coverage. Generally speaking, the same grammar rules and principles of rhetoric will be tested on the new Reading & Writing section, just with a new look and feel (single questions vs. longer passages, and no “NO CHANGE” incumbent option). A few hallmarks of the old, longer Writing section–most notably questions that ask how an author should order sentences and/or whether the author should add or delete a sentence–seem to be going away.
Scoring Scale. The adaptive nature of test sections slightly changes the way that scores are calculated, given that the difficulty of questions now factors in compared to a simple number correct/incorrect, but the scores will still be on a 400-1600 scale and, generally speaking, the criteria for “what’s a good score” at your target schools will remain constant, too.

What That Means For You

‍Practicing with the Digital SAT tools is important. By 2024, most students should be more than comfortable with the concept of doing academic work on a computer or tablet. So it’s not the mere fact that the SAT is digital that’s important–it’s how aware and comfortable a student is with the specific tools themselves. Notably, these tools include:

An optional on-screen graphing calculator. Powered by Desmos, this calculator is a great option for many students–but will work a bit differently from your handheld graphing calculator. To decide which you prefer, you’ll want to practice with both options. And if you plan to use the on-screen calculator, you’ll want the quick muscle memory to graph, calculate, backspace, and clear without having to think about the functions.
An annotation tool to add notes to text. Since you can’t circle words or jot notes like you might on the paper test, this tool exists to let you add notes on the screen. But it’s only available for the Reading & Writing section and you’ll want to test it out to see how well it works for you and ensure that you’re able to use it quickly.
A flagging tool to highlight questions to return to. Along with the menu to see all questions, this enables you to hop between questions to manage your time, but again you’ll want to build speed with it so that it works, as intended, as a time-saver and not a time-waster.
A countdown clock. You can toggle between “hide” and “show” the allotted time remaining. The clock can be distracting to some students if it’s constantly ticking in front of you; others like having it persistently there. To know what works for you–and to have a plan for when you’ll toggle it on vs. off to check your pace–again you’ll want to practice.
A formula reference sheet for math. Make sure you know which formulas are available and which are not.
Keyboard shortcuts. If you plan to use these shortcuts, as with these other tools make sure you spend the time beforehand to get them to the point where they really do save you time on test day.

Reading questions require specific preparation. For 11th graders who took a fall, paper SAT, or anyone who’s borrowed test prep materials from the earlier version, the Reading questions in particular will look a lot different and require a significantly different skill set. Most notably:

With 54 total verbal questions, you’ll face an incredible variety of topics and have to context-switch often. Pro tip: read the question stems first so that you know your “job” prior to reading each new topic.
The question type that asks you to synthesize notes is all-new and unique to the SAT. Pro tip: the purpose outlined in the question stem is the most important phrase of all.
Short-form passages require a more narrow type of reading comprehension. Many questions will come down to one or two key words in a high-leverage part of the question so you’ll want to train yourself to focus on that precision in language and to know where on each type of question to most direct your focus. Pro tip: when you’re asked to support a theory or claim, the specific adjectives and modifiers in that theory/claim really matter.
Vocabulary/diction questions no longer ask you for the meaning of a word, but instead to fit the proper word into a blank. Pro tip: the whole prompt matters, so make sure you understand the context from the sentences that don’t have the blank, too.

Minimize mistakes and pacing issues. The shortened, adaptive SAT test format puts a bit of extra emphasis on making every question count. Fewer questions means that a silly or careless mistake makes up a higher percentage of your score than before, and the adaptive nature of the test means that a mistake like that could have even outsized importance. Here’s why:

A shorter test magnifies mistakes. On a longer test, one careless mistake gets diluted by your performance on so many more questions. And the same is true of timing: over the course of a longer test, you have more time to make up for a wasted minute. The shorter the test, the more a single mistake drags you back from your true ability.
Section adaptivity can, in some cases, really magnify a mistake. By and large you shouldn’t worry about the adaptivity of the SAT at all (more on that later). But one thing you should know is that there is a dividing line on your first section of each discipline that determines whether you get the advanced second section and its higher potential point value. And if one or two silly mistakes drag you behind that line, that could artificially cap your score by not giving you a chance at that advanced second section.

Importantly, this doesn’t mean that you should be intimidated or paranoid throughout each section! But what it does mean is that 1) you should use practice tests to identify the types of mistakes you make under pressure so that you’re aware of them on the exam, 2) you should practice pacing so that you have a plan to not run short on time and miss questions you should get right, and 3) you should use any extra time you have double-checking for common mistakes so that you don’t “give back” any points that should be yours.

What that doesn’t mean for you

Don’t try to game the adaptive algorithm. With any adaptive test, there’s always a temptation to spend more time trying to hack the algorithm than studying to just rack up correct answers. And do you know what the algorithm favors most? Correct answers–they’re the best way to “hack” your way to a high score.

Adaptive testing is new to the SAT but has been used for a great many tests over decades, and the story is always the same: the time and focus you spend trying to gain an edge doesn’t gain you any points, whereas that same time and energy spent on shoring up shaky skills can really improve your score. Trust the psychometricians (standardized test data scientists) and work to build your skills and familiarity with the questions.

Don’t (completely) throw out old test prep materials. If your sister or friend swears by her flashcards or test-taking strategies, you can still largely put them to good use! Anything related to math, grammar, testing strategy (e.g. using answer choices as assets or plugging in numbers for certain algebra problems) can still very much help you. Just know that Reading is dramatically different, Writing questions look a lot different, and you’ll want to make sure you do a lot of practice with Digital SAT specific problems…the other tools can serve as a good supplement.

Don’t spend much time comparing Old SAT vs. New SAT. As of the evening of December 2 – the last date of the paper-and-pencil SAT – there’s just one SAT and it’s digital. Comparing the tests is a recipe for confusion (even now, decades after the SAT tested vocabulary through analogies and featured a, let’s say, “disincentive” for guessing, there are students getting bad advice from people who wax nostalgic for those features of a long-since-retired SAT). The best way to study and to help students is to focus on the one-and-only SAT and avoid comparisons altogether; the vast majority of students who will take the Digital SAT in 2024 will have never taken the older version, anyway.

Why is the SAT changing?

In short, because of competition. Colleges view SAT and ACT scores the same way, so the choice between taking the SAT and ACT comes down to test-taker preference (or state administrator preference when a state chooses one of these tests as a statewise, in-school exam). The College Board is betting that a shorter test–with the potential for more testing dates and locations, and with built-in technology tools for a digital generation–will encourage more students to take the SAT either instead of or in addition to the ACT. Which brings up the question:

Should you take the ACT or the Digital SAT?

The last time the SAT changed, in 2016, it became a lot more like the ACT. This time? It’s creating a lot of distance between the two. With two significantly different tests, which one should you choose? Here’s a breakdown of the two:

The ACT is longer, broader, and faster.

Not only does the ACT have longer sections with more questions, it also has:

Longer reading passages. The SAT has shortened its Reading & Writing passages to 150 words or less; the ACT Reading and English passages can still go up to 800.
A shorter pace-per-question. ACT Math gives you one minute per question; the SAT gives you about one and a half. ACT Reading, English, and Science give you a little under a minute per question, while SAT Reading & Writing gives you a little over. The ACT rewards those who work quickly.
A wider array of math skills, particularly for more advanced subjects. The ACT includes questions on vectors, matrices, and reciprocal trig functions–topics that don’t appear on the SAT.

The SAT leaves less room for error.

Of course, on the SAT you’re not the only one getting more time per question and fewer math rules to know. Everyone takes the same test, and the scoring scale reflects that. So know that:

The SAT’s shorter reading prompts require even more attention to detail to get what you need out of short, dense text.
The SAT’s more time-per-question means that you’ll need to use it to avoid and correct mistakes.
As mentioned earlier, with fewer questions, any one mistake on a question you should have gotten right makes up a larger proportion of your score.
SAT Math includes about 25% non-multiple-choice questions, where you have to supply a number as your answer. Educated guessing and process of elimination can’t help you there.

So what’s the verdict?

Take the SAT if:

You like to take tests more slowly and methodically, and when you can take your time your accuracy is quite high.
You find it difficult to focus on longer reading prompts, particularly in a timed, high-pressure situation.
You’re comfortable hopping between short tasks on different topics (like you’ll have to on SAT Reading & Writing)

Take the ACT if:

You tend to work quickly on tests.
You’re prone to occasional mistakes, but overall comfortable with a broad range of challenging math skills.
You’d prefer a handful of longer reading tasks over a lot of short ones

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