On Saturday, March 9, 2024, College Board administered their first online SAT exam, altering the overall style of the test. Before this exam, all SATs had been conducted on paper with a different format and required testing materials. Since it has been over a year since the last paper exams, current seniors are the only remaining class that took the older version.
“I personally thought the online exam was easier because they give you a Desmos Graphing Calculator, and I felt like it better estimates your skills and the practical application of problem solving since the test is adaptive,” said Amritha Vure, a senior who completed the November 2023 paper exam and the March 2024 online exam.
The paper test consisted of four sections: a reading section, a writing section, a non-calculator math section and a calculator math section. The online test changed the format of the four sections, dividing sections based on difficulty rather than on content. The first English and math section have a base-level difficulty, and then, depending on how a student performed on the first section, the second part will be more difficult or less difficult. The English sections also have combined reading and writing questions, while the math sections allow a calculator for both parts. The online exam only requires students to bring their computer and ID, while the paper exam required #2 pencils, an approved calculator, and ID.
“I think online testing is better because it allows students to adjust to the rapidly digitized world, especially because a lot of things are online now,” Vure said.
College Board has also changed the format of its Advanced Placement exams as well, having some subjects transition to online testing over the years. While the math-based subjects have remained on paper, the writing heavy subjects such as history and English exams have transitioned to online. Similar to the SATs, the required materials for online AP exams changed to only a computer rather than the #2 pencil required for the paper exams.
“I prefer the online version because the one that I took, which was the AP United States exam, required a lot of typing,” said senior Fiker Temesgen. “The paper exam would have made me really tired if I was writing all the time, so it was more efficient to take the online version.”
For the 2025 AP exam season, College Board has discarded paper exams, with exams being hybrid or fully online instead. For the math-based subjects, students will take the multiple choice online and the free response questions on paper, while all of the writing-based subjects are completely online.
