The junior (class of 2025), with the exception of some sophomores (class of 2026), most recently took the PSAT. However, this time it was not the traditional one with a scantron and paper book. This one was on the school-provided MacBook. The PSAT was completely digital. Students still received scratch paper and a pencil if needed for the math section, but everything else was on the device.

In this test design, students had 54 English questions and 44 math questions, both split into two sections, giving students a total of four sections. One significant difference was in the English section. Instead of having one large passage to read and then answering 10 questions about it, each question came with a new passage.

Before even starting the PSAT, there was a technology problem; what if this happens during a real SAT that is required for college? Technology is unpredictable.

“I did not feel in control when using my MacBook. The paper book allowed me to feel more comfortable in my test-taking and how my scores are recorded,” said junior Michaela Barry.

Many students, including junior Karl Nagel and sophomore Coco Henretta, said that their eyes started to hurt, and it was painful to look at a screen for that long, but overall, it was more time-efficient. But the real concern with this online PSAT is that students had to continue their school days. Reid Health, a national organization that ensures high-quality health systems across the country, says that a healthy amount of screen time is 2 hours. This PSAT alone took up more than 2 hours of staring at the screen, and students had to go to school afterward, continuing their rigorous schedules where computers are present in every class.

Students agreed that the one nice thing about the online PSAT is having your own personal timer. Students like junior Mona Ferraioli raved about how “being able to see my own time on my own computer helped me pace myself and not get distracted by what was going on around me. I was more focused and productive with the timer right in front of me.” With this feature, you could hide it, making it not visible, or keep it. Another great feature is having a calculator. Students do not have to worry about their calculator dying or forgetting it.

Now, when signing up for the SAT, students can pick and choose whether they want to take it digitally or on paper. There are certain dates that are ONLY paper, and some that are ONLY digital. What does this mean for the future? Digital AP tests?