SAT, Scholastic Assessment Test, is a standardised test designed for students interested in studying abroad at top-notch universities. Recognised in Canada, Australia, the USA and the UK, SAT exam is one of the most widely accepted exams to take admission in undergraduate programs in over 4000 universities globally.

In January, the College Board announced that the SAT exam will go digital, i.e. from pen and paper to online mode. The digital version of the SAT will be available for Indian students from 2023. The new version, i.e. digital SAT, has come up with several changes that will make the exam easier for students. If you have scored well on the exam, it will become easy to study abroad and secure a seat at an international university.

Changes in digital SAT exam 2023

The College Board has introduced four major changes in the digital version of the SAT exam from 2023. These changes are as follows:

1. Time: Earlier, students needed to complete the SAT exam in 3 hours, but with the digital format, the time duration has been reduced to 2 hours. 

1. Use of calculators: The Maths section of the SAT exam comprises a lot of formulas and calculations. Earlier, students could use a calculator for just one section. However, with the digital SAT exam, students will be free to use calculators for the entire Maths section.

1. Reading comprehension: As per the current format within Reading comprehension, students need to answer multiple questions based on lengthy passages. But with the new format, students can expect shorter and easier passages. Moreover, only one question is associated with each passage. 

1. Availability of scores: The digital format will reduce the scores’ availability time from two or three weeks to within a few days. 

What will remain the same?

Some aspects of the digital SAT exam will remain the same, which are as follows:

• The students will obtain scores from 1,600. Each section of Maths and Reading & Writing comprises an 800-point scale.

• Both sections have multiple-choice questions.

• Students should visit the test centre to take the test. Home-based test option is not available.

Advantages of digital SAT exam 2023

Experts strongly believe that the digital SAT will improve the test quality, access and delivery to students globally in the following way:

1. Improperly filled bubbles or stray pencil marks that result in losing points will no longer be a matter of worry for students.

1. The shorter passage in the reading section and the usage of a calculator in the Math section will also reduce the difficulty level of the exam.

1. Unlike the paper and pen format of the SAT exam, which may get cancelled due to external or logistics issues, the digitalisation assures students that the exam will take place at the pre-specified date. 

Tips to prepare for the digital SAT exam

With the changes in the digital SAT exam, students need to tweak their preparation and focus on scoring high marks. Some of the tips to ace the preparation are as follows:

• Appear for full-length mock tests and spend more time analysing your areas of improvement. 

• Master the language rules and punctuation by dedicating thirty minutes daily to practising English questions. You can either read a business newspaper or editorial sections. Reading multiple books across the genres like environment, science, etc., also helps a lot.

• Learn formulas and shortcuts in Maths to quickly solve problems related to Geometry, Algebra and Trigonometry. 

To conclude, the digital version of the SAT exam will make it easier for students to take the test. Follow the aforementioned tips to score good marks on the SAT and fulfil your dream of studying in your preferred study abroad destination. Do not allow financial worries to discourage you from studying abroad. Finance your education by availing an education loan from us. To gather more information about an education loan, please contact us.