This article will give you an overview of the changes that come with the Digital SAT and guide you how to switch your Magoosh dashboard over to the digital content so that you can make the most of your studies.
Overview
The Digital SAT is now available to international students with the first test dates taking place in the spring of 2023. The Digital SAT will be available to students in the U.S. in the spring of 2024.
With the Digital SAT come changes to the format and timing of the exam. Students will take the SAT on a laptop or tablet using an exam application that they download before exam day. The exam will be shorter overall, taking 2 hours and 14 minutes. The reason for this is the new adaptive nature of the exam. It will be divided into two sections: Reading & Writing and Math. Each section will be made up of 2 modules. The student's performance on the first module will determine the difficulty of the second module.
The scoring of the exam will remain the same, with a total score range of 400-1600 possible. Students can score between 200 and 800 in each section.
| Reading & Writing (RW) | Math | |
| Format | Two separately timed modules that are adaptive | Two separately timed modules that are adaptive |
| Time | 32 minutes per module, 64 minutes total | 35 minutes per module, 70 minutes total |
| Number of questions | 27 questions per module, 54 questions total | 22 questions per module, 44 questions total |
| Score range | 200-800 | 200-800 |
✳️For more detailed information, please refer to the CollegeBoard Digital SAT overview.✳️
Reading and Writing (RW)
Rather than having two separate sections for the Reading and Writing, the new Digital SAT will have a single section covering both. In addition to this, the Reading and Writing passages will be shorter having only one question affiliated with each passage. This means students will see more passages and read on a wider range of topics.
Students have 64 minutes to complete the Reading and Writing section, with 32 minutes to complete each module. Each module is separately timed, and students can move backward and forward among questions in a given module before time runs out. When time runs out on the first module of each section, the test delivery platform moves students to the second module.
Math
For the math section, there will no longer be a no-calculator section. Students will now be able to use a calculator on all math questions. Students will also see a change with the word problem in-context questions. The word problems will now be shorter to get a more accurate score for students' math skills with less affect from English language skills.
Students have 70 minutes to complete the Math section, with 35 minutes for each module within the section. As with the Reading & Writing section, students can move backward and forward among questions within the module. When time runs our for the first module, they will be automatically moved to the second module.
Digital SAT Dashboard
To switch to the digital version of our SAT dashboard, click the account icon in the top right corner and select "Account Settings" from the drop down menu.
On the settings page, scroll to the bottom and click the green "Edit" button. On the editing page, select "Digital" for the format of the SAT.
Click the green update button and you're all set!
As you will see, the dashboard reflects the new format of the exam, with the combined Reading & Writing section and a single Math section allowing calculator use. Score predictions will be generated for each section once enough practice questions have been answered to get accurate data.
The content has been updated to reflect the changes in question types as discussed above. Students will also have access to an initial full length practice test created from a separate pool of questions to get the most accurate score prediction. They can take that practice test by clicking the "Practice Tests" tab at the top of their dashboard.
Students will be able to take more than one practice test, but please note that after the initial test, the questions will be drawn from the general pool of questions to generate the exam.