The SAT exam, often criticized as unfair to some students, is moving to an all-digital format that will better prevent cheating and will be shorter that the current exam.
The College Board, which administers the test, said the new test will be rolled out in 2024. The test will be cut from three hours to two and long reading passages will be shortened.
The Board said the digital format will increase security and reduce cheating because each student will get a unique test.
Local school officials are applauding the changes.
"There's been an issue of some fairness with the test," Laurie Ecke, director of innovative and advanced programs with Hall County schools. "Some students have more access perhaps to test-taking preparation and others may not. We certainly have students who are absolutely brilliant in a million ways, but they're going to be stressed out taking a high-stakes test and you're really not going to get on on the test exactly maybe what they know."
The changes come as some colleges and universities are de-emphasizing the test as part of the admissions process. During the height of the pandemic, as SAT testing was canceled, colleges were forced to find new ways to evaluate prospective students.
"I think the College Board realized, 'We've got to make some changes as well.'" Ecke said. "And testing online is certainly the wave of the future and something that a lot of our students are even more comfortable doing."
Ecke said students who are bright, but struggle with standardize tests will benefit when colleges consider things other than test scores. She also said the shorter, online SAT might not be a stressful to students as the current pen-and-paper test.
Nearly 2,000 colleges and universities won't require SAT scores for fall 2022 applicants, according to FairTest, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing.
