A New School Year, A More Relevant SAT

(NAPSI)—With millions of U.S. high school students beginning a new school year, many have their sights set on the future as they prepare for college admissions. As part of a holistic admissions process, students use the SAT® to show their strengths and be seen by colleges and scholarships.

The SAT is valuable because it’s a strong predictor of college success, and colleges are increasingly asking students to submit test scores at the point of enrollment. In fact, after experimenting with test-optional policies during the COVID pandemic, many schools, including Dartmouth, MIT, Caltech, and Purdue, are reinstating testing requirements for admissions. And those remaining test-optional continue to use scores for critical decisions about admissions, student support, and class placement.

A wealth of recent research found that amid all the components of a college application—grades, essays, extracurricular activities—test scores are among the most useful in identifying students ready to succeed. When viewed within the context of where a student lives and learns, test scores can help confirm students’ grades or can even show their strengths beyond what their high school grades show.

Students are taking the SAT more than any other admissions exam, including the ACT. The new digital SAT meets the needs of today’s students by providing a shorter test, with more time per question, and an overall streamlined testing experience as compared to the ACT:

• Length: The SAT is 2 hours and 14 minutes. That’s 41 minutes shorter than the traditional ACT, with 67% more time per question on the SAT.

• Technology: The SAT is digital everywhere, and students take it on their own laptop, tablet or school-issued Chromebook. The ACT is mostly still paper and pencil, but with the digital version, students are assigned a device.

• Content: The reading passages on the SAT are short, with one question each; the ACT passages are longer, with 10 questions each. The math section on the SAT has a built-in graphing calculator and all necessary formulas are provided, which is not the case on the traditional ACT. Science reasoning is built into the reading passages and math problems on the SAT; the ACT has a separate science section.

• Practice Options: For the SAT, students have access to free practice resources including full-length digital practice tests and Official Digital SAT Prep on Khan Academy®. ACT offers one free practice test, but also offers paid resources that can cost students and families several hundred dollars. 

In addition, the SAT is now digital for everyone, creating a simple and straightforward option for students. ACT recently announced upcoming changes to the test that will require students to choose between 12 different versions after the full implementation is complete by fall 2025 (a paper or online version of the test, with the option to include a writing and/or science section).

Along with being a powerful tool in college admissions, digital SAT score reports now provide students in the U.S. with insights on careers growing in their state that need skills like theirs. 

Registration is open for the 2024-25 digital SAT. Students are encouraged to register soon to join the millions who take the SAT every year as they plan for college and career.

Learn more at SAT.org/digital.

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