Big Changes to SAT/PSAT

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Important Message to Juniors Regarding the October PSAT–
There’s a big change in the testing world that affects current juniors. The December 2023 SAT is the last SAT that will be a paper test. Starting March, 2024, the SAT will be a digital test–on the computer. Here are the major points.

• The test will still be proctored and given in test centers
• The student downloads the Bluebook App from College Board ahead of time onto their computer. On test day, they will be given a code which will download their test into the Bluebook app. Once the testing begins, the student’s computer is isolated from the web, and the student is also isolated from anything else on the computer. So, it’s a very secure testing environment.
• Students who do not have a computer will be provided one.
• The test is adaptive (more on that later) which allows the Digital SAT to be about an hour shorter than the current paper test. Also, the number of questions on the test is substantially reduced from the current paper test so that there’s more time per question–compared to today’s ACT, the Digital SAT has about 60% more time per question.

 
BUT HERE’S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO RIGHT NOW:
The PSAT that will be given this October is a digital test and it’s almost identical to the Digital SAT. Students can download the Bluebook app onto their computer now, for free, and will find there four full-length practice Digital SATs and one practice Digital PSAT. So, it will pay any student who is thinking about college to download the Bluebook app NOW and work the practice PSAT before they take this October’s PSAT.  Choose this practice test:
    PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10
Here's why:
By just taking the practice test on your own computer, for free, you will have much more familiarity with the test than if you take it cold on test day.
Also, if you are uncertain whether you want to prepare for the SAT or the ACT, taking the PSAT will give you a clear look at the Digital SAT and how it suits your skills. Then, by taking a practice ACT or the ACT given in North Carolina public schools in February or March, you will have a good indication of which test suits you best.
And, you need to learn the new built-in Desmos calculator for math, which will allow you to do many math problems using the calculator rather than solving on paper.
Now, what is an adaptive test? Wikipedia puts it this way: “Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) is a form of computer-based test that adapts to the examinee's ability level… In other words, it is a form of computer-administered test in which the next item or set of items selected to be administered depends on the correctness of the test taker's responses to the most recent items administered.” Because it adapts to the examinee’s ability level, it is able to achieve the same level of accuracy with substantially fewer questions than a non-adaptive test would require.
 
For more information, email perry@perryyoungblood.com at Perry Youngblood Tutoring