Starting in spring 2023 for international test-takers and spring 2024 for U.S.
test-takers, the SAT is scheduled to shift to a digital format. The new digital
SAT will have two Evidence-Based Reading & Writing modules (sections)
and two Math modules. The test will be adaptive—the second modules of
both Reading/Writing and Math will change in difficulty based on how
students do on the first modules of each type. Students who perform better
on the first modules will have more challenging questions in the second
modules, whereas students who do not perform as well on the first will have
easier questions in the second. Here is a summary of the new Digital SAT
format:

International students taking the SAT before 2023 and US students taking the SAT before 2024 will continue to take the SAT in its current paper-based format. The digital SAT will be offered in proctored testing environments (schools and testing centers).

Princeton Review Digital SAT Premium Prep, 2024: 4 Practice Tests + Online Flashcards + Review & Tools

Cracking the Digital SAT

The first step to solving the Digital SAT is knowing how best to approach the test. The Digital SAT is unlike many tests you took in school, so you need to learn to look at the test differently. It includes tips that will provide you with test-taking strategies that will immediately boost your score before you spend time studying the actual test content. Make sure you fully understand these concepts before moving on to the prepared tests.

Basic Principles of Cracking The Test

• Take the easy test first. Work carefully on the questions you know how to do to make sure you get it right.
• Use the Mark for Review tool to mark questions you want to come back to later.
• There are bound to be at least a few questions that you cannot do or find it difficult to eliminate even one answer choice.
• There is no guessing penalty on the digital SAT, so it is best to guess a question instead of leaving it blank.
• When you don’t know the correct answer to a multiple-choice question, look for the wrong answers instead. These are usually easier to find.
• When you find an incorrect answer, use the Answer Elimination tool to cross it out on the screen. In other words, use the Elimination Process.
• Use the Annotation tool to leave notes for yourself on Reading and Writing questions as needed.
• Use your scratch paper for more complex “Elimination Process” or other notes and calculations. Keep your work neat and tidy, with a question number next to each note.
• Get into the habit of double-checking your work to avoid careless mistakes as much as possible.
• Make the test your own test. When you are able to study the test to your strengths (and use our strategies to overcome your weaknesses), you will be well on your way to a higher score.

Elimination Process

There won’t be many questions on the Digital SAT where wrong choices are easy to eliminate. But if you study the questions on this site carefully, you’ll learn how to eliminate at least one option, or even two or three, on almost all Digital SAT multiple-choice questions.

What good does it do to eliminate only one or two options on a four-choice Digital SAT question?

Annotation Tool

What if you want to remember something specific about the question or the remaining answers? The Reading and Writing section has a tool for that too. If you highlight some text on the screen, you can click on the Annotation button to add a note to that text.

Again, this will be saved as you progress through the module, so it will still be there when you come back to a question. We will give you more advice on how to use this great tool in the following sections.

However, the Annotate tool has some limitations. You cannot annotate figures or answer choices, so you have to leave a note in the question stem or passage text yourself. Also, this tool is not available at all in the Math section.

Princeton Review Digital SAT Premium Prep, 2024: 4 Practice Tests + Online Flashcards + Review & Tools

Scratch Paper

When you arrive at the test center, you will be given three sheets of scratch paper to use. If you find that you’re struggling to explain in the Reading and Writing section, or if you have calculations to do in the Math section, your scratch paper will be there for you.

While you can use the Answer Elimination tool to cross out answers you know are wrong, you may need a more sophisticated way of keeping track of what you think about certain answers to narrow down the choices. In these cases, write the question number and answer letters on your scratch paper and use your own markers to help you make the best possible guess.

Do your best to keep your scratch paper clean and organized. If you come back to a question later, you want to be able to find your work easily.

So far you have learned strategies for navigating the modules of the Digital SAT and dealing with questions as you work through them. You’ve also learned a bit about the tools at your disposal and how to use them. All of this will help you find an answer to the questions you’re working on, but get in the habit of double-checking before you click on your final answer option.

You probably won’t have time to go back to a question you’ve finished, so it’s best to make sure you answer it as you intended the first time.