The new digital SAT debuts on March 9, and with it, the biggest changes to hit the exam in its 100 year history, including:

• Format: Leave your number two pencils at home. The new SAT will be taken exclusively via a tablet or laptop.
• Length: The new testing experience will only take about two hours instead of three.
• Calculators: The digital SAT will allow test takers to use a calculator throughout both math modules — either the test taker’s own College Board approved calculator or the on-screen graphing calculator built into the testing app.
• Shorter Reading Passages: The digital SAT will feature shorter reading passages, which will be easier and faster to read and analyze, with only one question tied to each passage.
• Adaptive: The Verbal and Math sections of the digital SAT will contain two modules. The difficulty of the second module depends on performance on the first. With a weaker performance on the first, test takers will see easier questions in the second. And with a stronger performance on the first, test takers will see harder questions in the second.
• Scores Back Faster: Instead of waiting several weeks to receive a score report, test takers will receive their score report in just a matter of days. This means less time waiting anxiously for results.

“Kaplan believes these changes are student-friendly and have the potential to provide test takers with a more streamlined, less stressful experience, compared to the old exam. From our conversations with students, what they like most is that it’s a shorter test. Two hours is a lot more manageable than three hours. Students can now focus more on content and less on endurance. But that doesn’t mean they should just wing it. It remains a rigorous test, so students should prepare accordingly,” said Heather Waite, director of college admissions programs, Kaplan.

Waite adds that one common question from students and parents is that with so many colleges and universities test optional, should one even take the exam at all, though there is an emerging trend to reinstate the standardized test requirement. “Applying to a competitive college or university with a strong SAT score can absolutely set you apart from the competition. Imagine an admissions officer evaluating two applicants, you and someone else on the other side of the country. You submit scores at or above the median score for accepted applicants, and they submit nothing. That can certainly give you an edge, as Kaplan surveys of admissions officers have consistently found. It can also help you secure merit-based aid and scholarships. A strong score can open doors, so even if you thought about skipping the exam, you may want to reconsider, given all its benefits.”

Contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com to speak with an SAT expert.

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About Kaplan

Kaplan, Inc. is a global educational services company that helps individuals and institutions advance their goals in an ever-changing world. Our broad portfolio of solutions help students and professionals further their education and careers, universities and educational institutions attract and support students, and businesses maximize employee recruitment, retainment, and development. Stanley Kaplan founded our company in 1938 with a mission to expand educational opportunities for students of all backgrounds. Today, our thousands of employees working in 26 countries continue Stanley’s mission as they serve about 1.2 million students and professionals, 13,000 corporate clients, and 4,000 schools, school districts, colleges, and universities worldwide. Kaplan is a subsidiary of the Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC). Learn more at kaplan.com.

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)

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The new digital SAT debuts on March 9, and with it, the biggest changes to hit the exam in its 100 year history. SAT experts at Kaplan are available to speak with journalists about what this means for students.