#060 Say Goodbye to the Paper SAT Test

Lisa Marker Robbins

Mar 7, 2023

Show Notes

EPISODE SUMMARY

It’s the end of an era for standardized testing. For the past 90 years, students have taken their SATs in a pencil-to-paper format. However, as ACT and SAT expert David Blobaum shares, 2023 is the final year of the paper SAT. In March 2024, the SAT will be an all-digital test and it will become adaptive. David explains what a digital-adaptive test is and gives advice for how your teen can best adapt to this change.

EPISODE NOTES

We’ll soon say goodbye to the paper SAT. Yes, you heard me correctly. 2023 is the last year of the paper SAT. The first 2024 test on March 9 will be a fully-digital test. And I’m sure you’re already wondering, what does this mean to your teen’s college-bound journey?

David Blobaum is a graduate of the University of Chicago and co-founder of Summit prep; his expertise is in college entrance testing.

In addition to being a digital test, the SAT will be adaptive to your teen. Each student will have the same first verbal section. Then, depending on your teen’s performance in that section, the next section will adapt based on ability. The same is true for the math portion. The good news is this means a shorter test moving from the current three-hour test to only two hours which is a win for students.

Unfortunately with any change in the middle of an academic year, the high school class of 2025, current sophomores, are caught in the crosshairs of change and will have to plan strategically. David recommends if your teen will be a junior in the 2023-24 school year and want to take the SAT instead of the ACT they should complete SAT testing by the end of 2023.

David does give some encouragement with the fact that for students doing SAT prep, the content of what is tested will remain very similar to the paper version; the major difference is the reading portion. If your teen has not completed algebra 2 before the junior year, David suggests considering the ACT instead of the SAT. One issue with the new SAT is there will be a shortage of materials to use when preparing and practicing for the SAT while the ACT has a lot of practice material available.

Will change be good? Time will tell and it will be a while before we know. In the meantime, college-bound families are encouraged to think strategically and plan ahead.

Highlights

The SAT is changing at the beginning of 2024
What families should know about the digital SAT
Important information for current sophomores (class of 2025) who are most affected by the change
How the changes affect your teen’s college-bound journey
What options are available to students who receive testing accommodations

Meet Our Guest

David Blobaum is a nationally recognized expert on the SAT and ACT. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago, and, in 2013, he and a former classmate started Summit Prep, a tutoring company with locations in Bernardsville and Summit, NJ that specializes in SAT and ACT tutoring. He is on the Board of Directors for the National Test Prep Association and serves as the organization’s Director of Outreach to help highlight how academic standards can help students, schools, and society.

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