The widely used three-hour standardized college placement test known as the SAT has been used to determine the intelligence of the different aspects of a young person’s mind since the mid-1920s. Originally being used as an IQ test to recruit individuals for the military, this testing technique has clearly come a long way as it is currently being used all across the globe for young adults to further their education. In the most recent act to better the overall usage of this specific test, the College Board officially declared that the SAT will turn 100% digital for international students at the commencement of 2023, followed by the remainder of all U.S.-based students at the start of 2024.
This specific news was made public to the world on Tuesday, January 25, 2022, in a short statement released by the vice president of the College Board, Priscilla Rodriguez. “The digital SAT will be easier to take, easier to give, and more relevant,” she claims. “We are not simply putting the current SAT on a digital platform… We are taking full advantage of what delivering an assessment digitally makes possible. With input from educators and students, we are adapting to ensure that we continue to meet their evolving needs.” Other representatives from the College Board announced that they received positive feedback from 80% of high school students who attested that they ‘found the experience to be less stressful in comparison to the handwritten version.
Education professionals also made it known that the newest model of the SAT will only last two hours instead of its usual three-hour-long session. While this new adjustment seems like it will be easier on the students’ part, it is also meant to relieve some of the workloads off of the teachers: Instead of taking weeks to grade and return back, teachers are able to score and return the digital SAT within just days. As some people might need some time to get used to the new fundamental adjustments throughout the education system, only time will tell after this plan is put into action if this truly was the most beneficial move that the College Board could have made.