College Board’s Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) will be converted to a digital only exam this year for students nationwide. These changes have already been enacted for the PSAT and will officially change for all SATs starting in 2024. At Goffstown High School, Mrs. Mannion, the lead English teacher and resident “SAT expert,” offered some insight about these changes. Predominantly, these changes consist of less reading in the reading section, with the word count decreasing significantly to about 50-100 words per passage and the time being cut dramatically in the math and writing sections. The committee making these changes claimed that with the shorter reading the SAT can cover more topics, and the reading can be more intensive. Mrs. Mannion commented that 50-100 words is little material to read. With the reading and the test now being 100% online, the variation of how well students will do is different. Mannion stated that students who want to do well on the SAT will do well no matter how the test is formatted, and one of the only issues that students will face is technology. The online test comes with the uncertainty of technology. This could be challenging if some students aren’t very familiar with it. 

For many students, these changes are not affecting them drastically. Around 80 percent of students in high school want to do well on the SAT for colleges, but some do not care whether or not the test is online. Senior Jazmyn Kremidas said she “preferred the SAT to be online when she took it.” However, she also stated that she believed the test was nearly four hours long, meaning that the perception of time with the paper version seemed significantly longer. This feeling may change with the test being reduced and online. When asked if the SAT was good or bad for students, Jazmyn said, “Depends how you do, but it does create a lot of stress for the students.” The shorter time and diminished word count for texts in the SAT might be a factor in relieving some of the students’ stress. Not only will they not have to prepare for an extended test, but they will also be able to study without having to stress as much. 

According to Jazmyn, she stated that students needed to learn about the changes to the SAT to prepare accordingly. She said it would be better for students to pay attention to this so they can properly study. Overall, the change will benefit the students because they will be more prepared and not have to worry about stress. The shorter test will also get students to work harder. However, the more straightforward test may result in students failing to do as well as they could have with a lengthier test. According to Mrs. Mannion, College Board hopes the change to the SAT will benefit the students in the long run.