The SAT is being overhauled this spring. Here’s what Maryland students, parents need to know.

The format of the SAT, a standardized test to determine high schoolers’ college readiness, is changing to a digital format this spring as colleges start to make standardized tests optional for admissions.

The new format will allow students to get scores back in days instead of weeks, College Board, the nonprofit behind the test, said in January 2022 a news release.

“The digital SAT will be easier to take, easier to give, and more relevant,” said Priscilla Rodriguez, vice president of college readiness assessments at College Board, in the release. “We’re not simply putting the current SAT on a digital platform — we’re taking full advantage of what delivering an assessment digitally makes possible.”

Here’s what Maryland students and parents need to know about the change.

What will be different?

The digital SAT will be two hours instead of three, leaving more time per question, College Board said. This format will also only have two sections by combining reading and writing, in addition to math.

The transition will lead to “assessment questions that are tailored to students’ ability, thus providing a more precise performance measurement,” Maryland State Department of Education spokesperson Raven Hill said.

The test will have shorter reading passages with a question for each, covering topics representative of college coursework.

Students will now be allowed calculators for the entire math section, as opposed to for one timed portion and only a pencil and paper for another. Test-takers can use use their own approved calculators or the Desmos graphing calculator built directly into Bluebook, College Board’s new digital testing app. The change is intended to reflect how calculators are used in the real world, the nonprofit said.

Starting this month, a digital option will also be available for the ACT at select locations nationwide, but the timing and number of questions haven’t changed.

What resources do students have?

The first SAT of the year is March 9 with a base price of $60. In March, there will be 63 testing sites in Maryland, according to College Board.

Baltimore County, Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County public schools allow juniors take the test for free on an SAT day in the spring, which haven’t been announced yet.

“School Day is an important driver of access and equity and has been shown to lead to higher college-going rates for low-income and rural students,” College Board said.

Its website offers downloadable SAT prep books that include practice tests, strategies and content review.

What about the PSAT?

The preliminary SAT has moved to a digital format as well. This practice test mimics the SAT with reading/writing and math sections, and is about the same length, according to College Board’s website.

“Understanding the relationship between PSAT scores and SAT performance, as well as exploring additional resources for SAT preparation, is crucial for students aiming to excel in the college admissions process,” said Sherry Christian, a Baltimore City Public School System spokesperson.

Taking the PSAT qualifies students for the National Merit Scholarship program, a $2,500 scholarship. Students don’t register for the PSAT, but individual schools and districts choose if they will offer it.

Eighth and ninth grade students can also take PSAT 8/9 as a preliminary measure of readiness for future tests.

“The PSAT can be helpful in determining what score you may receive for the SAT while providing extra practice,” said Audrey McQueen, a 12th grader at Reservoir High School. “However, the PSAT is irrelevant to those who don’t need to take the SAT for their post-high-school plans.”

Do the SAT and ACT still matter?

Some universities require students to submit SAT and ACT scores with their application packages, but others, such as those in the University System of Maryland, have made it optional.

The USM removed the requirement in 2022. During the Board of Regents meeting in which the university system passed the change, Darryll Pines, president of the University of Maryland, College Park, said standardized testing has a long history of being problematic for minority communities.

“Persons of color tend to have biases against them by these tests, and they don’t get into schools,” Pines said at the time.

UMD, along with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Towson University; and the University of Baltimore, had already been test-optional for several years.

“Each institution assesses its admission requirements consistent with its mission and programs and alongside its student success data,” USM said in an emailed statement. “And of course, it is not just recent high school graduates who are applicants. The SAT is not necessarily appropriate for all applicant audiences. It was designed with recent high school graduates in mind.”

The system hasn’t been able to see the full impact of the change yet.

“We have not yet had a full cohort go through to see if there has been any impact on graduation rates,” USM said. “Institutions will review their data and determine what the right course of action is for their students and university.”

Local schools such as Anne Arundel Community College, the Community College of Baltimore County and Mount St. Mary’s University have also made the test optional for admissions.

What do students think?

McQueen says the SAT isn’t a good representation of a student’s college readiness, and work and volunteer experience and letters of recommendation should hold more weight.

“It is unfair to base a student off of one test score in order to decide if they are ready for college or if they are a good fit for that school,” she said.

In 2021, College Board email surveyed more than 5,000 students, including those who took the SAT and those who hadn’t yet.

The organization reported that more than 80% of students wanted the option to submit scores to colleges, allowing them to be seen by schools regardless of their grade point averages.

“Most students want to take the SAT, find out how they did, and then decide whether they want to submit their scores to colleges,” College Board said in a statement. “This finding remains consistent whether or not students have taken the SAT and across race/ethnicity and parents’ level of education. That is because the SAT allows students — regardless of where they go to high school — to be seen by colleges and scholarship providers.”

McQueen said the new digital format has changed the importance of the test but has made it harder for students to take.

“I took the SAT last year, and I enjoy taking tests on paper as it allows me to underline, circle, and cross out answers,” she said. “I’m also able to focus more as it’s on paper. It’s also important to mention that we already have enough forced screentime as it is, with most of our classwork being online.”