Final Verdict .
Sometimes Less is More .
As a student that witnessed countless severe breaches of academic integrity , I personally get where CollegeBoard is coming from : the original paper-SAT ( heck , even for all the AP exams ) relied on a system of trust , but one guarantee of life is to never trust everyone ; after all , “ fair is foul , and foul is fair .” The system itself is way too exploitable for cheaters who have the guts to risk getting caught – just open the test booklet !
Though one thing I would like to emphasize : a digital switch doesn ’ t eradicate all methods of cheating – dedicated cheaters always find a way . Whether it is buying test papers from different time zones to controlling the mouse to a separate person behind the scenes , there are countless methods to cheat as well , regardless of whether it is digital or physical .
The grading system is arguably one of the biggest topics of question in the new DSAT format – using complex psychological theories , it could be more helpful in the long run by providing you with more insight than a simple score out of 1600 .
Though I do have my doubts on the IRT system – a system that factors in guesswork ( which might not even be accurate ) and subjective measures of difficulty – and I think CollegeBoard overworked with this new system . Sure , it might sound fancy and all that , but basing a score on weighted “ easy ” and “ hard ” questions is simply too much – those adjectives are subjective , not objective ; not to mention that the entire system is partially up to your luck too – remember about the “ pretest questions ” that are not graded . Potentially this might actually be less reflective of a student ’ s capability ( and speaking of capability , the SAT in itself has a narrow definition of such , testing only English and math stills , though it was always like that ).
Finally , in all honesty , the new Bluebook testing portfolio and online system is way more convenient – simply type in a code and make some clicks in comparison to tedious bubble-shading with a # 2 pencil – also , I ’ ve had friends worry their CollegeBoard paper exams might not be successfully graded by the scantron by using the wrong pencil type . So is for the calculator functions – a built-in graphic calculator makes it way easier to “ level the playing ground ” due to its easy user interface ( UI ) when in contrast , you likely have to use old-fashioned TI-84 calculators that I don ’ t even know how to use properly ( and it ’ s been 2 years since I bought them ).
But I personally long for the old-fashioned pen-and-paper exams – there is a sense of nostalgia in scribbling notes and frantically underlining and circling words in comparison to “ click , click , and click .” After all , that ’ s the joy of standardized exams ... or is it ?
Final Verdict .
6.1 out of 10 .
↓ The new user interface of the Bluebook testing portal for the DSAT .
Source : https :// test-ninjas . com / digital-sat-practice-tests ; background removed via https :// www . remove . bg / upload
SLAS TIMES 35
Dear CollegeBoard : Please give us the old paper SAT back , please . Thank you . :)
Overarching background photo : the old scantron-styled tests which are now replaced by a digital interface . Source : https :// www . istockphoto . com / kr / search / 2 / image-film ? phrase = sat + testhow-scores-are-calculated