It’s time to put down the pencils!

In an attempt to make the SAT easier to take and more appealing, College Board has announced that by 2024, the dreadful standardized test will be administered fully online, ending the era of filling in answer bubbles to the brim–with no stray marks, of course.

The exam, which will still be featured in school testing centers, will be only two hours long compared to the gruesome three hours of before. Along with a shorter duration, the reading passages will also be significantly shorter with only one question per text, and a calculator will be allowed on the entire math section. The class of 2025 will be the first to take the new exam. 

“The digital SAT will be easier to take, easier to give, and more relevant,” Priscilla Rodriguez, Vice President of College Readiness Assessments at College Board, said on January 25. “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.” With calculators and other tools built into the testing site, the digital SAT will make testing so much easier for students, especially in this age of technology where everything is slowly making the transition to computers. 

Freshman Grace Boettner, who will be among the first to take the computerized test, likes the new features, but has some concerns. “I don’t like how there is less time,” she said. “Even though there are shorter questions and reading prompts, I would rather have longer to take my time to go through it.” 

While there are many benefits to the new-and-improved SAT, a number of students favor traditional paper tests. “Preferably, I enjoy the paper test as opposed to a digital version of the SAT,” said senior Sheridan Tolley, who took the SAT on paper last year. “Seeing as how a majority of school work has become digitally based, I think it’s great that students took the SAT on paper.” 

“I think a lot of people will like that it is digital,” Boettner agreed. “But for the people who like doing their school work on paper, they won’t like it as much, even with all the new benefits.” 

The SAT is going digital, but it’s not losing its value. The College Board said that the test will still measure “the knowledge and skills that matter most” and will still be scored on the traditional 1600 scale.