It’s a tale as old as time. Every year, over a million prospective college applicants nationwide travel to a testing center to take the handwritten SAT exam, as per an article from Inside Higher Ed.

However, an upcoming change to the test format may have drastic implications for the future of standardized testing, and the new format’s debut class – current high school freshmen.

It was announced by CollegeBoard on Jan 25 that the SAT will be shifting its format to an in-person digital exam that’s about an hour shorter than the current exam, now lasting two hours. This change is set to take place in 2024, just in time for the Class of 2025’s college application period.

“We’re taking full advantage of what delivering an assessment digitally makes possible,” Priscilla Rodriguez, vice president of College Readiness Assessments at College Board said, in a press release by the company. 

Some freshmen weren’t so sure of the new format’s implications, however.

“I feel like mainly, it’s not really going to change much. SAT scores are still probably going to be out of 1600.” said freshman Yajoon Yang. 

However, he said he preferred a digital format, as did freshman Jalen Boyd.

“I prefer digital [testing] because I feel like I understand questions better on it and I feel like I can think better while I’m doing it,” said Boyd. 

Both students concluded that while they were happy with the change, it didn’t fundamentally alter the essence of the exam.

This position wasn’t unanimous amongst their peers.

Freshman Julianna Hanna said when she takes a paper test, it seems more serious, and that she finds it harder to focus during digital assessments.

In a poll of biology teacher Claire Shoenberger’s freshman class, 78% of freshmen said they preferred paper & pencil tests, although nearly 70% of the same class believed that the digital SAT would be easier.

The ultimate effects of the exam’s new format remain to be seen, but one thing appears certain – handwritten assessments are becoming increasingly obsolete in favor of more convenient digital exams. Only time will tell to what extent this shift toward the digital medium will affect students.

Edits made Mar. 9