The SAT has moved online. Here are the pros and cons
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Prospective college students took the SAT online for the first time this week.
No more No. 2 pencils, bubble answer sheets and calculators. Students just need a computer or tablet to take the SAT college exam.
There are pros and cons to the new digital format.
"I think the digital SATs moving on to an online space has allowed for the administration of the test to be a lot more efficient," said Sunghoon Kim, founder and CEO of Pittsburgh Prep, a tutoring organization and college admissions consulting agency.
He said the online standardized test is much shorter.
"The exact timing of the test has been shortened from a three-and-a-half-hour paper-based test to just about two hours, making the exam a lot more palatable for students," Kim said.
The exam is also adaptive, as the second half of both the math and reading sections will be easier or harder depending on how the student performed in the first section.
Kim also said the exam scores are returned much quicker.
"In the past, you might have to wait six weeks to eight weeks. You're now getting it back within two weeks flat," he said.
Students still have to go in person to a testing site. Test-takers with learning disabilities can still get extra time and breaks or even take the test over multiple days.
Critics of the online test are skeptical and believe it will still put some people at a disadvantage.
"Students who may not have access to test prep, or they may go to a school that is under-resourced and don't prepare students for the exams, well they're still out of luck, right?" Kim said.
More colleges are returning to requiring SAT and ACT scores to apply.
Kim said there have been discussions of rampant grade inflation over the last decade so the test becomes more important for students looking to apply to top programs.
His advice to students? Listen to your parents and figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are.
"Do the homework, just listen, and do the best that you can in school and really try to read as much as possible. Focus on the fundamental areas of math, take the practice exams early, like PSATs when you're in ninth grade or 10th grade," said Kim.
The first digital SAT exams were completed on March 9. The next SAT exam dates are May 4 and June 1.
Pittsburgh Prep is happy to offer advice. Kim said every student who walks through its doors can take a diagnostic test and they'll do an assessment with them. Students aren't required to enroll there.
"Whether you get a 950 or a 1300, it's just a number. And just like anything else, the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it," Kim said.
Kim said students can also ask their school counselors or any tutoring organizations to ask for advice on how to prepare for the big test.