Since 1952, students have filled in bubbles and written essays exclusively on paper exams for their SAT and AP tests. However, in 2024, the SAT and a select number of AP courses will be going online.
College Board, the organization that administers the SAT and AP exams, has announced that it will offer digital exams for the SAT and select AP exams, including AP English Language, Computer Science, U.S., World, and European History. These online exams are only available for the contiguous 48 states, with plans to roll out to the outlying states and more locations. These exams are identical to the standard paper exams, but digitally streamlined. College Board’s website explains that “We plan to work with schools in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, as well as schools outside the United States, to gauge interest in a potential pilot of 2024 digital AP Exams.” These digital exams will be administered through College Board’s proprietary testing app Bluebook, developed to host these exams. This application is functionally equivalent to LockDown Browser, but with no option to opt out of the exam once it has begun. According to IVY Tutors’ Network, AP digital exams are more efficient, accessible, and paper-saving as compared to the standard exams. College Board says it plans to roll out digital exams of all of its subjects in the coming years, and that schools can “make local decisions and choose to offer digital, paper, or a combination of paper and digital” (College Board).
As SAT and AP tests transition to digital formats, schools will have to adapt and adjust to new styles of test-taking and proctoring methods, as the curriculum changes to a more online, technology-based modus operandi.
Citations
The College Board. “Digital AP Exams”, The College Board, https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/exam-administration-ordering-scores/digital-ap-exams. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
- Sindhura. “AP Digital Exams: Everything You Need to Know”, Ivy Tutors Network, https://ivytutorsnetwork.com/blog/ap-digital-exams. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
