Last Updated On: October 3rd, 2025
A few years ago, the number two pencil and the scantron sheet were symbols of standardized testing. Today, most students can leave behind those freshly sharpened pencils and swap them for a computer. The SAT went first, transitioning to the digital test for all students in spring of 2024. A short time later, the ACT announced that it would also update its test and allow students to choose between a paper and a digital format. Starting this month, September 2025, students will complete shorter ACT test sections, and the science section will be optional.
Why the switch to digital testing?
According to Priscilla Rodriguez, senior vice president of College Readiness Assessments at College Board, “Our goal was to provide a testing experience that is more relevant to today’s students and is less stressful for students to take and easier for educators to administer.” In other words, the SAT is changing to a digital test to align with our digital world.
Another feature of the Digital SAT is that it is adaptive, meaning that students receive a harder or easier second section of the test based on how well they do on the first section. This feature can’t be duplicated with a paper test.
The ACT’s digital test is not adaptive, which makes sense because the same test is also offered on paper. According to the ACT’s website, “With a choice between testing on a computer, or with paper and pencil, students can maximize performance and confidence by taking the ACT in the way that feels best for them.”
What is the basic format and timing for both tests?
| Digital SAT | “Enhanced” ACT (Digital or Paper) | |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Sections | Reading and Writing Module 1: 27 questions, 32 minutes Reading and Writing Module 2: 27 questions, 32 minutes |
English: 50 questions, 35 minutes Reading: 36 questions, 50 minutes |
| Math Sections | Math Module 1: 22 questions, 35 minutes Math Module 2: 22 questions, 35 minutes |
Math: 45 questions, 50 minutes |
| Optional Sections | None | Science: 40 questions, 40 minutes Essay: 1 question, 40 minutes |
| Total testing time (without breaks) | 2 hours, 14 minutes | 2 hours, 15 minutes without Science and Essay 2 hrs, 55 mins with Science 3 hrs, 35 minutes with Science and Essay |
| Ave time per question | 71 seconds per R&W question 95 seconds per Math question |
42 secs per English question 83 secs per Reading question 67 secs per Math question 60 secs per Science question |
So, what is on the Reading and Writing section of the digital SAT these days?
The Reading and Writing sections contain very short passages, ranging from one sentence to two paragraphs, with one question per section. All questions are multiple choice and there is no guessing penalty for incorrect answers. The test is predictable in its format, and questions can be grouped into several unofficial categories, which go in order:
- Sentence/passage completions give a short passage with one word missing. Finding the best word to fill in the blank requires both an understanding of the sentence and vocabulary knowledge. Expect about 5 of these questions per module.
- Main Idea, Structure, and Detail questions give a short passage and ask a question about the main idea, a supporting detail, the function of a particular sentence, or the overall structure. Expect about 5 of these questions per module.
- Logic and evidence questions give a short passage and ask readers to analyze the logical argument, choose the best evidence for the claim, choose the best concluding sentence for a logical passage, choose a scenario that undermines the claim, etc. They may also include charts and graphs. Expect about 5 of these questions per module.
- Conventions of standard English questions give test takers a sentence or passage with a blank and require them to choose the only answer that correctly fits English grammar, punctuation, and/or usage. They often test more obscure grammar rules. Expect about 6 of these questions per module.
- Logical transition questions ask for the most logical transition between sections or parts of a passage. Expect about 2 of these questions per module.
- Research notes questions give a series of bullet points from student research and ask how to use the research to accomplish a specific goal. Expect about 2 of these questions per module.
What is on the English and Reading sections of the ACT?
The English and Reading sections of the “Enhanced ACT” are similar to the previous (not enhanced) version of the test, except the passages are now shorter and there is more time per question on the enhanced version. All questions are multiple choice and there is no guessing penalty for incorrect answers. The big difference between the Digital SAT and the ACT is that the ACT uses longer passages with several questions about each passage, while the SAT now uses short passages with one question per passage.
For the English section, students read through several passages and make corrections to errors in grammar, syntax, and writing conventions (or choose “no error”). They also answer “Organization, Unity, and Cohesion” questions about the best sentence order, topic sentence, concluding sentence, tone, etc. These questions are similar to those found in the “conventions of standard English” section on the Digital SAT.
For the Reading section, students read through several (most likely 4) reading passages that are each multiple paragraphs long and answer 8-9 questions about each passage. The questions include similar topics to the SAT (main idea, supporting details, inference, vocabulary, etc.), but the format of some of the questions is different.
What is on the Math section of the Digital SAT?
Each module of the Math section includes 22 questions to be completed in 35 minutes or less. Students can bring their own calculators or use the on-screen graphing calculator (very similar to Desmos) provided by the program on all questions, but the SAT purposely words the hardest questions so that students can’t just plug them into the calculator. “Student-produced response questions” (formerly called grid-ins) are interspersed with traditional multiple-choice questions. Questions go roughly in order from the easiest to the most difficult.
The content of the math questions includes a variety of concepts from Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Geometry, Algebra 2, Trigonometry, and basic Statistics. There is no Pre-Calculus or Calculus. The easy and medium-level questions on the digital test should be easy to answer for a student who understands math concepts. The most difficult test questions, however, are often written in a convoluted way that might confuse students who know the math concepts but are inexperienced with the SAT’s style. Students hoping for a top math score will likely need to practice with the tricky way that the SAT words the trickiest questions.
What is on the Math section of the Enhanced ACT?
The Enhanced ACT includes 25% fewer questions, a little more time per question, and there are now 4 answer choices per question instead of 5. Test makers say that the enhanced test will include fewer word problems, a higher proportion of problems that test advanced high-school-level topics, and fewer problems that test pre-high-school concepts (like pre-algebra). Though a shorter test should be easier, they’ve taken out some of the easier problems, so some early digital test-takers have reported that the short, enhanced math section seemed harder than the old test. The topics covered are Similar to the SAT, and questions go in rough order from easiest to hardest. Though the ACT includes several tricky multi-step problems, the hardest questions on the ACT are usually more straightforward than the hardest questions on the SAT.
Which test should I choose?
With the introduction of the digital ACT and the Science section becoming optional, the two tests (sans Science) are more similar than before. As you can see from the chart, the total time for the ACT without the Science and Essay sections almost matches the total time for the Digital SAT. When it comes to time per question, the SAT gives a little longer for the Reading and Writing questions than the English questions, but in my opinion the SAT questions require more time. The ACT allows more time per reading question, but the reading passages are longer. The SAT allows more time per Math question, but some very tricky math questions on the SAT might take longer to comprehend and work out. So, my best advice for the Digital SAT vs. Digital ACT is the same as my previous advice for the paper tests: Try one practice test for each and decide which one you, personally, like better.
If you have a strong preference for a paper-based test then the ACT will be your only option, but you might want to try out the digital test before you commit to paper. With almost everything moving onto screens these days, you might be more prepared for a digital test than you think you are.
How should I prepare for a digital test?
It’s best to prepare for a test in the same format that you’ll be taking the test. For the Digital SAT and ACT, this means utilizing digital tools like the Bluebook practice tests and online ACT practice tests that reflect the new format. Printed books can still be helpful, however, for reviewing key concepts and giving test takers an easy reference to use while practicing.
No matter what the format of the test, one-on-one tutoring is an excellent way to prepare for your test and stay accountable for your preparations. LA Tutors has been preparing for the transition to digital testing from the first announcement, and our tutors are ready to help you no matter which test and format you choose.
