In our present day and age the switch from paper to digital is not an uncommon occurrence, and the College Board has decided to participate in this as well. On October 18, 2023 OLCHS students took the first digital PSAT/NMSQT. Prior to the digital version, the PSAT was a paper packet with 2 Reading Sections, and 2 math sections having a total testing time of 3 hours and 25 minutes. Starting this year an adaptive digital version of the PSAT was released having 2 reading sections and 2 math sections as well, but only being a 2 hour and 14 minute test.
Prior to testing Apple released its iOS 17 software update which students were able to download to their iPad, creating a few complications for test takers. Blue Book, the PSAT testing site, did not accommodate for the new iOS 17 update. Students with updated iPads were given a MacBook to use for their test, solving the solution of the update problem, and allowing all participants to take the test.
The digital PSAT is constructed for easier use on devices. Unlike the prior PSATs which contained multiple choice questions which referred to a large text, the digital test contains a series of short passages and 1 question relating to it. The new digital test is also adaptive meaning the questions students received throughout the test depended on how students answered their previous questions. “ In general, I think many students will appreciate how this format shortens the overall length of the test. However, I do feel the adaptive format places an important emphasis on the first module of each test section. Students need to do well enough on the first module to be placed in the harder second module. If not, they will be placed in an easier second module that will limit the max score earned for the entire section. Therefore, the better you do on the first module, the better chance you can get to the harder second module and earn the highest score possible, said school counselor and test administrator Jeffrey Pastiak.
“The digital PSAT/NMSQT is shorter with more time, on average, to answer each question. Not only does it have fewer questions, but a lot of the pre-bubbling and instruction reading previously done on test day has now been moved to another day. This keeps the test day streamlined”, said Pastiak. “Preparing for this significant change to the PSAT/NMSQT was time-consuming and nerve-wracking. The school needed to plan for the worst possible scenario on test day, It is too early to tell which will be better for our students, but I feel the digital SAT and PSAT are here to stay. One thing I do not miss – organizing all of the physical paperwork!”
Though a few minor setbacks occurred prior to test day, all 141 students signed up for the test were able to complete it without any major problems. Students are expected to receive their scores between November 6th-16th. So the big question is will we see benefits with the newly digital PSAT/NMSQT, or will the paper version make its return back to Oak Lawn Community High School?
