The digital SAT

The change from paper went deeper than the screen. The test is shorter, the passages are shorter, a calculator is allowed throughout Math, and the second module of each subject adapts to how the first went. Preparation material written for the paper test does not describe this exam.

Structure

Within a module you may move freely between questions, flag them and return. Every module carries two pretest questions that do not count toward your score and are not identified, which is why the question counts differ from the scored totals.

How the adaptive modules work

The first module of each subject is the same for everyone. Performance on it determines which version of the second module you receive: one drawn from an easier pool or one from a harder pool.

A candidate routed to the easier module cannot reach the top of the scale, however many questions they answer correctly.The first module therefore matters more than its share of the questions suggests.

The harder second module carries a higher score ceiling, because a perfect score is a claim about a level of performance and the easier pool does not contain questions demanding enough to demonstrate it. The two subjects also route independently: a strong Reading and Writing module 1 does not affect which Math module 2 you receive. Routing in detail.

Multiple choice and grid-in questions

Most questions are multiple choice with four options. About a quarter of the Math questions are different: instead of choosing, you type your answer into a box. College Board calls these student-produced responses, and almost everyone else calls them grid-in questions.

They carry their own entry rules, a character limit, a specific point at which you may round, and no mixed numbers, and answers that are mathematically correct are marked wrong every year because of how they were typed. They also cluster near the end of each Math module, so running short of time costs you these questions in particular. Grid-in rules.

Scoring, and the absence of a penalty

A correct answer earns a point. A wrong answer costs nothing. There is no deduction, which means there is never a reason to leave a question blank: an unanswered question is worth exactly as much as a wrong one, and a guess can only improve the outcome.

This is the reverse of tests such as CEnT-S, which deduct a quarter of a mark for a wrong answer. A candidate moving between the two has to unlearn the habit, and it is a costly one to carry into the SAT.

Raw scores are converted to two section scores of 200 to 800 each, giving a total between 400 and 1600. The conversion table differs for every form of the test.

What you are allowed to use

A calculator is permitted for the whole Math section, and a graphing calculator is built into the testing application. A reference sheet of formulas is provided on screen, covering areas, volumes, the Pythagorean theorem and special right triangles. What is not provided is anything for the Reading and Writing section, and no formula sheet substitutes for knowing which formula applies.

Who takes the SAT

Most candidates are applying to universities in the United States, where a growing number of institutions are test-optional but many still consider scores. The test is also accepted outside the United States: Politecnico di Milano accepts it as an alternative to its own entrance test, and several universities in Europe and Asia use it in admissions for English-taught programmes.