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Digital SAT FAQs

1. What is the Digital SAT?
2. Who creates the Digital SAT?
3. Why did the SAT change in 2024?
4. How did the SAT change in 2024?
5. What question types appear in the Digital SAT Reading and Writing section?
6. What question types appear in the Digital SAT Math section?
7. Is the new 2024 Digital SAT harder?
8. When should I register for the Digital SAT?
9. How do I register?
10. How much does it cost to take the Digital SAT?
11. How long does it take to get my scores back?
12. What if I take the Digital SAT and mess up?
13. What is Score Choice?
14. How many times can I take the Digital SAT?
15. Why is TestMasters the best choice for Digital SAT preparation?
16. When should I start preparing for the Digital SAT?
17. Where can I get a sample Digital SAT to practice on?
18. How much high school math do I need before I can start preparing for the Digital SAT?
19. Besides scores, what actually moves a college application?
20. Do we need an independent educational consultant?
21. How do we find scholarships?
22. Does a summer job help or hurt an application?
23. Public university or private college?
24. What is a dual degree program?
25. Is a dual degree program worth it?

1. 1. What is the Digital SAT?

      The Digital SAT is an exam administered by The College Board to test college and career readiness. It is primarily used for the purpose of gaining admission to college. The SAT is widely considered to be the single most important test you take in high school.

   2. Who creates the Digital SAT?

      The exam is owned and published by the College Board, a nonprofit membership organization, and built under contract by a testing vendor. Neither is a government body, and neither has any connection to Test Masters.

   3. Why did the SAT change in 2024?

      According to The College Board, the SAT was revised to make exams more flexible, easier to take, easier to give, more secure, and more relevant.

   4. How did the SAT change in 2024?

      Changes to the new 2024 SAT include changes to the format of the exam, scoring scale, and question types.

      The Digital SAT includes a combined Reading and Writing section and a Math section. Both sections are scored from 200-800 for a total composite score of 400-1600. The Digital SAT is substantially shorter than the previous version of the exam, lasting 2 hours and 14 minutes instead of 3 hours. Students also have more time, on average, to answer each question.

      The Digital SAT is a multistage adaptive test (MST). Each test section (Reading and Writing; Math) is divided into two equal-length and separately timed stages, each composed of a module of questions. The first module contains a broad mix of easy, medium, and hard questions that allows students to demonstrate their proficiency before moving on to the second module. The questions in the second module are targeted to the student’s level based on how they performed in the first module: the second module will have either higher difficulty or lower difficulty questions.

   5. What question types appear in the Digital SAT Reading and Writing section?

      The revision in 2024 has led to a removal of traditional SAT passages. The Digital SAT no longer separates Reading and Writing into different sections. A single Reading and Writing module is comprised of 27 questions – each with their own paragraph(s) – that function independent of each other, meaning they do not reference previous questions or text.

      Four types of questions will be featured on the Digital Reading and Writing section: Craft and Structure, Information and Ideas, Standard English Conventions, and Expression of Ideas.

      Craft and Structure questions measure your comprehension, vocabulary, analysis, synthesis, and reasoning skills. They ask what a word is doing in a particular sentence, what an author is trying to accomplish, and how two short passages on the same subject relate to one another.

      Information and Ideas questions measure your comprehension, analysis, and reasoning skills. They ask you to find a stated detail, draw a supported inference, or read a figure such as a table or bar chart and combine it with the text beside it.

      Standard English Conventions questions measure your ability to edit texts to conform to core conventions of the English language. These questions will test your ability to modify sentence structure, word usage, and punctuation.

      Expression of Ideas questions measure your ability to revise texts to improve the effectiveness of written expression. These questions will test your ability to properly transition between sentences or meet specific rhetorical goals.

   6. What question types appear in the Digital SAT Math section?

      The revision in 2024 has led to the removal of the no-calculator math section. Additionally, the Digital SAT gives students access to a built-in Desmos graphing calculator to use on each math question. A single Math module is comprised of 22 questions – each with their own information – that function independent of each other, meaning they do not reference previous questions or graphics.

      Four types of questions appear in the SAT math section: Algebra, Advanced Math, Problem-Solving and Data Analysis, and Geometry and Trigonometry. Each of these broader question types may be broken down into more specific math topics.

      Algebra questions cover linear equations, inequalities and systems, and expect you to move between an equation, a table and a graph without stopping to think about it.

      Advanced Math questions measure your ability to solve and understand nonlinear equations such as absolute value, quadratics, exponential equations, polynomials, rationals, and radicals.

      Problem-Solving and Data Analysis questions measure your ability to apply quantitative reasoning about ratios, rates, and proportional relationships; understand and apply unit conversions; and analyze/interpret one/two variable data.

      Geometry and Trigonometry questions cover area and volume, angle relationships, triangle properties including right-triangle trigonometry, and circles.

      More generally, the math section of the Digital SAT thoroughly tests your foundational knowledge of math topics in the context of real world situations, involving science, social science, or career related topics, focusing specifically on the math needed to pursue careers in the STEM fields.

   7. Is the new 2024 Digital SAT harder?

      This is a question with no easy answer. It depends on your strengths and weaknesses. The Reading and Writing section places a heavier emphasis on high-utility vocabulary than the previous iteration of the exam, but there are no longer passages that contain 80 lines of text. The Math section tests content from traditional Algebra 1 and Geometry classes in high school, but not content from traditional Algebra 2 and Pre-Calculus classes. While the content may be limited, the questions are designed to test mastery of the skills being tested on a more comprehensive level. From College Board’s perspective, the Digital SAT (2024) is more closely aligned with the demands of college and readiness for a career. Students who have done well in all school subjects should benefit from the test changes.

   8. When should I register for the Digital SAT?

      Students can take the Digital SAT as many times as they choose. The exam is offered nationally seven times per year: March, May, June, August, October, November, and December. We generally suggest that students start preparation for the Digital SAT after they have completed Geometry in school. While our courses are designed to prepare students for the next available testing date, many students benefit from studying strategies and honing their skills for 3-4 months following the completion of a preparation course. Students who score the highest typically start before or during tenth grade and continuously practice until the achieve their target score. The idea is to start early as opposed to waiting until the end of eleventh grade or twelfth grade when there are only 2 or 3 test dates remaining for the exam before submitting college applications.

      Schedule the exam:

      • A few weeks after the course finishes, so there is room for independent review
      • Within two months of the last class, while the strategies are still automatic
      • Registration deadline is usually 2-3 weeks prior to the test
      • Only 7 SAT exams each year: March, May, June, August, October, November, December
      • Consider college deadlines, preparation times, and test date availability before scheduling

   9. How do I register for the SAT?

      There are three ways to sign up for the SAT:

      • Online: Register at the College Board website
      • By phone: (888) 728-4357. Students may only register for the SAT over the phone if they are retaking the SAT. Only students who have a previous SAT registration can register by phone.
      • By mail: Under certain circumstances, some students may be required to register for the SAT by mail. You can learn whether or not these circumstances apply to you at the following web address: https://sat.collegeboard.org/register. To register by mail, you will need The Student Registration Guide for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests, which is available through your school counselor.

   10. How much does it cost to take the Digital SAT?

       Registration is currently $68, which includes sending your scores to four colleges; additional reports are $15 each. Late registration, changing your test center and rush reporting each carry their own fee, and fee waivers are available to eligible students through a school counselor. The current schedule is published at satsuite.collegeboard.org.

   11. How long does it take to get my scores back?

       Digital scores come back faster than the paper exam ever did: most students see them in their College Board account within a few days, and two weeks is the outside case. Colleges you designated receive them shortly afterwards.

   12. What if I take the SAT and mess up?

       You have two ways out of a sitting that went badly. During the test itself you may exit without submitting, in which case nothing is scored. After submitting, you may request score cancellation, and the College Board must receive that request by the deadline published for the test date, which falls within a few days of the exam. Requests are made through your College Board account or by contacting customer service directly; the old paper-era form is no longer how this is done.

       Before canceling, remember that Score Choice exists and most colleges look only at your best sitting. Canceling is for a genuinely disrupted exam, not for a test that merely felt hard.

   13. What is Score Choice?

       Score Choice lets you decide which test dates a college receives, at no extra cost. Policies vary: most universities ask only for your best sitting, many superscore by combining your highest section scores across dates, and a small number of private colleges ask for every score you have. Check each school’s own admissions page before you send anything, because this is one of the few places where following the wrong general rule costs you directly.

   14. How many times can I take the Digital SAT?

       There is no limit on attempts, and with Score Choice a college sees only the dates you release. In practice two or three well-prepared sittings is the right number: a baseline, a real attempt after preparation, and one more if something specific went wrong.

   15. Why is TestMasters the best choice for Digital SAT preparation?

       • Ten classes of three hours each, compressed into two to six weeks so the material never goes cold. The strategies in a Test Masters course are ours alone, taught by instructors who use them daily, and they are what turn a plateau into a higher score.
       • Highest Score Increase Guarantee – if you complete the course and do not improve by at least 200 points, we will allow you to retake our course immediately after your exam free of charge.
       • Every in-class exam is built from official College Board practice material and machine-scored, returning a breakdown by question type rather than a bare total.
       • Materials are the Test Masters Digital SAT manual, written for the adaptive format, together with The Official Digital SAT Study Guide.
       • Tutoring help (group or 1-on-1) is available for students during and after their TestMasters course. Group tutorials are free of charge and 1-on-1 tutoring is by appointment starting at $99 per hour.
       • Hundreds of thousands of students have taken TestMasters Courses from all across the country.

   16. When should I start preparing for the Digital SAT?

       Earlier than most families expect. A student chasing National Merit standing should begin by the June before tenth grade, because the PSAT that counts arrives in October of junior year. Everyone else is best served starting the summer before eleventh grade, when there is no homework competing for attention and the algebra and geometry are fresh. The summer before twelfth grade is the last point at which a course still leaves enough test dates to use what it taught.

   17. Where can I get a sample Digital SAT to practice on?

       Two sources, and you want both. The College Board publishes a printable linear practice test, which is useful for drilling content. For the exam as it will actually behave, install Bluebook and take a full adaptive practice test in it, because the adaptive second module is the part no PDF can reproduce.

   18. How much high school math do I need before I can start preparing for the SAT?

       Once you have completed high school algebra and geometry, you are ready to take the Digital SAT.

   19. Besides scores, what actually moves a college application?

       Every American college builds its own process, so no single weighting is true everywhere. What holds generally is that the transcript carries the most weight: the grades themselves, and how demanding the courses behind them were. Test scores come next and do a particular job, which is to let an admissions officer compare students from schools they do not know. After that come the things that make a file memorable rather than merely strong: sustained involvement in something, a recommendation from a teacher who clearly knows you, and an essay that sounds like a person instead of a committee. Depth beats breadth in all of it. Four years in one activity, ending somewhere responsible, reads better than nine clubs joined in the spring of junior year.

   20. Do we need an independent educational consultant?

       Some families find one useful, particularly when a student is applying far from home, has an unusual academic record, or is being recruited. Start with your school counselor, who knows your school’s history with specific colleges and costs nothing. If you do hire someone, ask how many students they place, which associations they belong to, and what exactly you receive for the fee. A consultant cannot raise a score or write an essay for you, and any who suggests otherwise is selling something worse than advice.

   21. How do we find scholarships?

       Work outward from the closest sources. The largest awards most students receive come from the colleges themselves, automatically, based on scores and GPA, which is one more reason a higher Digital SAT score pays literally. Next come state programs, then local ones: community foundations, service clubs, churches, and the companies your parents work for, many of which fund awards almost nobody applies for. National databases are worth searching but are the most competitive route and should not be the first one. Never pay a fee to apply for a scholarship.

   22. Does a summer job help or hurt an application?

       It helps, and students consistently underrate it. Paid work shows an admissions reader that you can be relied on by someone who is not your parent or your coach, and it develops exactly the qualities colleges claim to want: punctuality, responsibility, dealing with people who are having a bad day. Start looking in the spring if you want a summer position, since most hiring happens before school ends. The type of work matters far less than sticking with it, and a student who spent two summers at the same restaurant has a better story than one who collected three impressive-sounding one-week experiences.

   23. Public university or private college?

       Compare the actual price rather than the sticker price. Public universities charge less in tuition, particularly in-state, and Texas residents have unusually good options at that price. Private colleges list higher tuition but often discount it heavily through institutional aid, and for some families the net cost ends up lower than the public alternative. Beyond money, the honest differences are scale and access: larger public institutions offer more of everything, including more competition for it, while smaller private colleges offer closer contact with faculty and fewer choices. Run each school’s net price calculator before forming an opinion.

   24. What is a dual degree program?

       An arrangement in which one course of study yields two credentials: an associate and a bachelor’s, a bachelor’s and a master’s, or two master’s degrees, depending on the institution. The coursework is planned as a single sequence rather than two separate applications, and admission is usually decided at entry or in the second year.

   25. Is a dual degree program worth it?

       For a student who already knows the destination, yes. The combined sequence typically saves a year of tuition and a year of lost salary, and two credentials give you more to argue with in an interview. The catch is commitment: these programs assume you have chosen a field early and will not change your mind, and leaving one partway through can waste the courses that were taken for the second degree rather than the first. If you are certain, the arithmetic is strongly in your favor.