The SATs are scrapping the No. 2 pencil and going all digital

• The SAT is moving to an all-digital platform starting next year internationally in 2023 and in the US by 2024.

• The new test will also be about an hour shorter and will give students more time to answer each question.

• According to the College Board, 80% of students who tried the new platform said it was less stressful than the old test.

So long, No. 2 pencil.

The College Board announced that the SATs will be moving to an all-digital platform within the next two years.

The College Board — which administers the tests — said it will be rolling out the new tests internationally in 2023 and in the U.S. in 2024.

It will provide devices to students who do not have their own computers or who attend schools without access to technology.

The test — a mainstay for college applications for decades — will now be shorter, moving from a three-hour exam to just two hours, and will give students more time per question.

Reading passages will be shorter with only one question accompanying each and calculators will be allowed for the math sections, the College Board announced. Scores will be returned to test-takers within days instead of the current weeks-long wait, thanks to the digital platform.

According to the College Board, 80% of students who test-drove the new platform said it was less stressful than the old-fashioned paper-and-pencil exam.

"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. "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. With input from educators and students, we are adapting to ensure we continue to meet their evolving needs."

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