US College Entrance Exam SAT to Be Taken on Computer Starting Next Year

An American student is working on a practice test to prepare for the college entrance exam, the SAT. Source: AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The SAT, the U.S. college admission qualification test, is going fully digital. From now on, test takers will take the exam using laptops or tablet PCs instead of paper test sheets and pencils.

The College Board, which administers the SAT, announced on the 25th (local time) that the SAT exam will be changed to a digital format. Overseas, the digital exam will be implemented starting next year, and in the U.S., it will switch to digital from 2024.

The exam can only be taken at schools with proctors or designated testing centers. Test takers can use their own laptops or tablet PCs, or devices lent by the organizers.

The exam will also be shorter and simpler. The test time will be reduced from the current 3 hours to 2 hours, and results that used to take several weeks will be available within a few days.

Reading passages will be shorter, and only one question will be asked per passage. Math questions will have fewer words, making them less verbose. Vice President Priscilla Rodriguez said, "The digital SAT will not only be easier to take but also a more suitable test."

Before COVID-19, the SAT was essential for applying to U.S. colleges, but after the pandemic, the number of colleges that do not require submission of test scores has surged. Many universities, including Harvard University, are placing more emphasis on overall academic achievement and diverse activities rather than test scores like the SAT.

The number of students taking the test at least once dropped sharply from 2.2 million in 2020 to 1.5 million last year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.