2023 marks the end of the paper SAT and a new era of technology with the launch of the digital SAT (DSAT). Our team has spent the last few months reviewing the information provided by the College Board and reliable partners who specialize in test preparation, and we have identified several key principles for students to follow in order to maximize their performance on the exam.
Structure and Format
The DSAT has two sections: Reading/Writing and Math. The Reading/Writing section consists of two modules, each consisting of 27 questions. Module 1 is a baseline module and Module 2 is adaptive based on the points from the baseline. The Math is set up similarly, with 22 questions in each section.
The questions are clustered by topic, so test takers will find that there will be 4-6 similar questions with varying degrees of difficulty. The test divides questions into easy, medium, and hard categories, with difficulty increasing as you move from question to question. This is especially important as you have approximately 70 seconds to answer Reading and Writing questions and 95 seconds for Math questions; how you divide your time should be based on the level of difficulty of each question.
The Reading/Writing section is drastically different from the previous exams. Gone are the days of long reading passages and multiple differentiated questions; instead, there will be a short paragraph with one corresponding question. There is a renewed emphasis on vocabulary, as up to 25% of the questions could be directly related to word meaning or usage. There are still data analysis questions, so expect to see graphs and research, but bid farewell to the dreaded inference questions that used to pop up in each section. Lastly, there is a new set of rhetorical analysis questions that require you to analyze bullet points and answer a direct question related to them.
The Math section is also much different. To start, calculators are allowed, and the new interface has a Desmos calculator built into the platform. Topically, there is more trigonometry and geometry than before, so if these are strong suits, consider yourself fortunate. The topical breakdown is approximately as follows:
Algebra 35%
Advanced Math 35%
Problem Solving and Data Analysis 15%
Geometry and Trigonometry 15%
Questions are less wordy, so there should be less time needed decoding what is being asked, and more time focused on solving the actual problem.
Scoring
When it comes to scoring, the College Board has stated publicly that questions have different point values. However, they have not, and probably never will, release how their algorithm calculates this, so there’s no way to “game” the exam or outsmart the technology. This means that each question should be treated as equally important, although they’ve let it slip that questions earlier in the exam carry more weight than those later on.
Early indications have shown that scoring on this exam will be lower than on the paper-based exam. Since test-taking strategies to beat the clock are not really relevant to this exam, it is a true test of applying knowledge and it is pretty clear that if there are any gaps, they will be exposed.
In order to maximize performance, students should focus on preparing concepts and using practice problems on Khan Academy and our own portal. Due to the low number of diagnostic exams available, they should be taken strategically as a part of a larger preparation plan and not be the focal point. This is where having a coordinated strategy with your counselor and our tutoring team would be most beneficial.
Resources
The best source of information is the College Board’s website. Not only is there exam information but also the Bluebook application that you’ll need to download. Make sure that your computer’s operating system is up to date before downloading. In addition, Khan Academy, as the College Board’s official partner, has preparation material and practice problems.
Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/digital-sat
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