SAT: Digital Test Security and Fairness â What You Need to Know
As the SAT moves toward a more digital format, students, parents, and educators often wonder about test security and fairness. The College Board is committed to ensuring that the digital SAT remains a secure, fair, and reliable measure of college readiness, just like the traditional paper test.
1. Advanced Security Measures
- Secure Testing Devices: The digital SAT is taken on College Board-approved laptops or tablets with locked-down software that prevents access to other apps, internet, or files during the test.
- Remote Proctoring and In-Person Monitoring: For digital SAT administrations outside school settings, proctors use advanced monitoring tools and video surveillance to prevent cheating.
- Data Encryption: All test data is encrypted during transfer and storage to protect student information.
2. Preventing Cheating
- Randomized Questions: Each student receives a unique set of questions pulled from a large test bank to minimize sharing of answers.
- Timed Sections: Strict timing rules reduce opportunities to look up answers or get outside help.
- Behavioral Analytics: The College Board uses algorithms to detect suspicious patterns that might indicate cheating.
3. Ensuring Fairness
- Accessibility Features: The digital format offers built-in accommodations such as screen readers, adjustable font sizes, and color contrast options to support students with disabilities.
- Consistent Difficulty: The test adapts to student performance, ensuring a fair assessment of ability across a range of skill levels.
- Score Validity: Digital SAT scores are carefully reviewed and held to the same rigorous standards as paper-based tests.
4. Privacy Protection
- The College Board follows strict privacy policies to protect student data, only sharing scores and information with authorized parties (like colleges you apply to).
- Students and families can review the privacy terms before testing.
5. Preparing Students for Digital Testing
- Practice Tools: Official digital practice tests help students familiarize themselves with the format and interface.
- Clear Instructions: Test day instructions include guidance on device use and security policies.
- Support: Technical support is available to handle any issues during the test.
The transition to a digital SAT is designed to make the testing experience more flexible and modern while maintaining the highest levels of security and fairness. Students can feel confident that their scores truly reflect their abilities and hard work.