How the Digital SAT works
Everything about the test's format, in plain language.
It's taken on a computer
The SAT is now fully digital in the United States. You take it in the College Board's Bluebook app on a laptop or tablet, either at a school or a test center. Testing time is 2 hours and 14 minutes, plus a 10-minute break between the two sections — expect to be at the test center longer once check-in and setup are counted.
Two sections, four modules
There are two scored sections: Reading and Writing, then Math. Each section is split into two shorter parts called modules:
- Reading and Writing: 2 modules, 27 questions each, 32 minutes per module.
- Math: 2 modules, 22 questions each, 35 minutes per module.
In total there are 98 questions: 54 in Reading and Writing and 44 in Math. Only 90 of them are scored — two questions in every module are unscored "pretest" items College Board is trying out for future tests. They are not marked, so answer every question as if it counts. Most are multiple choice, but roughly a quarter of the Math questions are "student-produced response" (grid-in) questions, where you type your answer into a box instead of choosing an option.
Reading and Writing questions each have their own short passage — you won't find one long passage with ten questions attached like on the old paper test.
The test adapts to you
This is the biggest change. Each section is section-adaptive: how you perform on the first module determines whether the second module is the higher-difficulty or lower-difficulty version. College Board states that a range of section scores is possible no matter which second module you see — you are not advantaged just for getting the higher-difficulty set, or disadvantaged for getting the lower-difficulty one. Every scored question in both modules counts, so work carefully throughout.
Tools you get on screen
- A built-in Desmos graphing calculator, available for the entire Math section.
- A reference sheet of common formulas.
- A timer you can hide, plus the ability to flag questions and come back to them within the module.
- An annotation tool for marking up passages.
Rules worth knowing
- There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so never leave a question blank — always guess.
- You can move around freely within a module, but once you submit it (or time runs out), you cannot go back.