This year, the SAT will be digital and some wonder how this will affect the test-takers. The SAT is a long format test that lasts hours. Naturally, students struggle staying focussed throughout the entire test.
The SAT is becoming less and less important by the year. The value colleges hold it to has decreased steadily since COVID-19 years. Switching from paper to digital is an evolution directly resulting from the pandemic. The SAT is the newest addition to the transition into the electronic world for many states across the country.
“I think that a digital version will help students focus better and it will have more tools to help them,” junior Tyler Ellis said. “The school work I do this year is me studying for the SAT. I am trying not to think too much in specifics. I will take whatever it throws at me.”
A laid-back mindset is one many students approach the SAT with. This includes junior Issac Polanco who has ADHD and struggles taking long-format tests. Like his peer Ellis, he has not yet taken the SAT, but plans to this year.
“I often zone out while taking tests,” Polanco said. “I feel that the test being digital wouldn’t really affect me in any sort of way.”
In contrast with the last two students, senior Camilo Choi who goes to Loyola High School in California has already taken the SAT. He took his test on paper and states that he’s glad it was not digital.
“I have taken the SAT, once earlier this year and one just one week ago. I am currently waiting on the second score,” Choi said. “If I was to take the digital test, as I have on past AP tests, I believe it would negatively hinder my performance.”
Some students believe staring at a screen for too long would cause them to zone out. Not being fully focussed for a test of such importance can be harmful for a student, especially one with hopes of higher education. If a student is able to achieve a good score, however, it may not be as adverse as years previous.
“The SAT, while definitely important to my college aspirations, no longer carries the same weight it used to,” Choi said. “Universities and colleges even reject the SAT outright.”
Differing from test procedures in previous years, not all colleges require SAT scores to be submitted in applications. It is the students choice on whether they want to submit scores or not, but many find that they can be beneficial in the admissions process.
“With the most universal ‘test-optional’ applications at schools, a student can choose showing their test score to be negotiable, and their application is only viewed with what they choose to submit,” Choi said. “However, I view the SAT as a safety net for admissions, especially at the top level.”
As stated, the SAT is something most people take, but is becoming less important to colleges. The switch to a digital version of the test has varying student opinions. The consensus is that the switch to an electronic version is a natural step forward for schools.
Ellis says, “I think students can have a longer attention span in a digital format.”
