Ella:"100 times over again, I'd rather take the Digital SAT!"
Ella Smith will start as a Freshman at NC State
Ella Smith is a recent graduate of Ravenscroft High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ella will be a Freshman at North Carolina State University in Fall 2023.
Here is an edited snippet from my Podcast with Ella Smith about her experience with the Digital SAT.
Q: Ella, How did you end up taking the Digital SAT?
Ella: I received an email from College Board several months prior letting me know that there was a possibility that she could take the Digital SAT. I had taken the paper SAT a few times.
I talked to my college counselor about whether or not he thought it would be a good idea just to kind of get one more. And he obviously had no opposition to it.
He also thought it was cool for someone in our school to take the digital test and share the experience with the underclassmen, considering the Digital SATs were somewhat of a mystery.
So I registered for it.
And I actually got they compensated me for my time, which was nice. Not anything extraordinary. But they gave some money, which was very nice!
Q: What was the Test Taking Experience like?
Ella: I had a really good experience with the Digital SAT. I am not a good standardized test taker.
Paper SAT
I hate the idea of it that there's so much pressure on this one test and the paper version is so long. It's broken up into four sections.
You're at the Test Center at 7am. You don't leave until noon.
You're there forever just sitting and you're hungry and you're tired. And it's not fun!
Digital SAT
Digital SAT is on a computer, all self-paced, and the total test time was cut in half, I thought it was amazing. You were out of there by 10am!
And you got to move at your own pace. If you wanted to go have a snack, go to the bathroom, kind of just chill for a minute like, that was totally okay, you could move about however you wanted.
I didn't see too much difference as far as like the level of difficulty in the Digital Test compared to the paper Test.
Q: What Benefits did you see with the Digital version of the Test?
Ella: There were a bunch of handy tools and accessories that were accessible.
For the computer math portion, you had your calculator built into the computer, which definitely makes it easier for people who don't have access to like bring a calculator into it.
Tools to mark up the passages on the reading section, where you can highlight content and organize yourself a little bit better.
Software was all very easy to use, you watch like a tutorial video beforehand, and you had a little bit of time to kind of play around with it and get used to it.
And the classroom that I was in, they had extension cords going up the rows of seats, so that way people could plug in their computers if necessary, which was also very relieving, because you always worry about like your computer dying halfway through kind of thing!
Q: So I'm guessing from what you are saying, you prefer the Digital version of the SAT?
Ella: Totally! 100 times over again, I'd rather take the Digital SAT.
I felt like my brain was more awake and happier to be there just knowing that I could get through it faster;
And I had almost more time to think about the question in front of me knowing that I could still go back to it;
And that all my time was like in front of me, I had a clock counting down on my computer screen.
So I know exactly how to pace myself accordingly.
Overall, it was it was great.
Q: One last question. Did you get a better score in the Digital Test compared to the paper test?
Ella: Ever so slightly. Like I said, I wasn't a very good standardized test taker. My scores were a little bit better, but nothing changed drastically.
On with the Podcast
In this Podcast, Ella talks about her High School Experiences, her college search process, Digital SAT, and her advice to college aspirants.
Listen to Ella Smith of Ravenscroft School, NC On her High School Journey. (28-Minute Listen).
Let me know what you think of Ella’s experience.
Have a Great Week!
Venkat
I'm not surprised by Ella's feelings about the dSAT. My guess is that, barring technical hiccups, it's going to be a hit with students. Thanks for sharing!