On March 20th, juniors were given a day to take the new digital SAT for free. While a majority of the school recognizes the SAT as a long and arduous exam, only juniors have been able to participate in an online rendition. So what was that experience like for the juniors at Oakdale? How does a digital setting change the way students think about the test?

Those who hadn’t taken a PSAT or SAT before felt that the assessment was a lot less of a struggle than they anticipated. “The test was much easier than I expected it to be. I didn’t really feel challenged by any information, aside from the first math section,” says Kenna Yost, a junior at Oakdale High.

A common sentiment among juniors is  the English section of the test being less difficult than the math section, even if the English section had more questions. Despite there now being an even bigger difference between the number of questions in both sections, many students felt the math section of the test was still more difficult than the English.

“Math section two blindsided me with its difficulty,” says Junior Quinn Bannister. “Even having done algebra 1 and 2, geometry, and statistics, it was giving me questions I had no clue how to even start solving.” Both math sections were seen as fairly difficult, but the second got considerably more hate.

For the most part, juniors like the changes and additions that come with an online test. According to College Board, the organization that administers the SATs, “84% of students reported a better experience with the digital SAT Suite compared to the paper SAT Suite.” With how large a percentage that is, the SAT won’t be transitioning back to paper anytime soon.

That’s not to say everyone was a big fan of the digital assessment, however. Some students felt that online SATs could be just as laborious as printed SATs, if not more. “I feel strongly that the test should’ve been on paper. The computer screen causes eye strain and headaches,” Yost explains. “I assume [scoring tests] would be more efficient? I just don’t understand why else it would be digital other than that.”

With this in mind, it would be best for upcoming juniors and seniors if the test was able to be taken either digitally or on paper. That way, students could decide between the two and take whichever test they felt more comfortable with.

For students who took the in-school SAT on March 20th, scores will become available starting on April 18th.