SAT Exam To Go Digital By 2024, Bar Exam To Go Digital By 2026
The College Board has announced that the SAT will go digital in 2024, bringing an end to its long run as a 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 the 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.”
However, the SAT exam isn’t the only test switching over to an all-digital format. The next version of the bar exam, which could debut by 2026, will also be taken entirely on a laptop or computer.
According to a national conference spokesperson, the majority of would-be lawyers already choose to take the essay and performance test portions of the bar exam on their laptops instead of handwriting their answers. However, the Multistate Bar Exam currently uses Scranton sheets and paper booklets for its 200 multiple-choice questions.
The introduction of the new, digital exam will see an end to the three separate test components in favour of an integrated exam. Officials say the new test will focus less on memorising laws and will place greater emphasis on testing legal skills instead. Aspiring attorneys will be tested in seven skills areas, including client relationships and management, legal research, legal writing, client counselling and advising, and negotiations.
