Special promotional content provided by Huntington Learning Center

While the SAT has been around for decades, it’s about to undergo some significant changes that will affect students and their families. The last paper tests will be administered in December 2023, and then the test will go digital.

Huntington Learning Center in Decatur is getting ready to help students prepare for this new version of the test. It’s more important than ever to understand these two options and choose wisely between the ACT and SAT.

While students will only have the option for the computer-based SAT next year, they will still take it at a school or testing center. It will not be administered at home. The new test will be shorter, taking approximately 2 hours to complete, and will have an onscreen calculator for the entire math section.

The biggest change will be that the new test will be adaptive, meaning that the student’s performance on the first set of questions will determine what questions they receive for the subsequent sections. A low-scoring first section limits what a student can achieve in the end. Conversely, a high-scoring first section will produce more difficult questions and allow the student to make a higher overall score.

“There is some apprehension among students and parents regarding how this new test will affect their performance,” said Shelly Howell, owner of the local Huntington Learning Center.  “There are just so many unknowns.  We’re suggesting that students who really want to take the paper-based test start prep this spring and summer and get it done in 2023, because of the uncertainty of the new format.”

The ACT and the SAT have always been very different tests, and it’s a good idea for students to try both tests to see which is easier for them to read and understand. So far, the ACT has given no indication that it will also become a digital test.

“When a student comes into our center, we always let them take a practice test for both the ACT and the SAT at no additional charge,” Howell explained.  “This way they can determine which one is a better fit. We’ll continue to do this, and adapt our services to the digital test if a student wants to take the new SAT in 2024.”

Click here to schedule an appointment to get ready for the new SAT.